1
Ratra,
Frenchpark Oct 1 1916 My dear Mrs Coffey You will be
sorry to hear that
dear Nuala died
yesterday. Heart
failure was the
2
immediate cause, but
it was brought on by
the difficulty in
breathing. She
had two dreadful
days fighting for
breath but the
end came quite
peacefully. She
was wonderfully brave
and patient. Poor
Lucy is quite broken
down. She died just
25 days from the
time she got hemorrhage. Hoping that you
and Dermot are keeping
well and with kindest
regards from us
3
all Yours very sincerely Douglas Hyde
The letter is from Douglas Hyde to Jane Coffey and refers to the death of Hyde's daughter
Nuala following heart failure (she had tuberculosis). 'Lucy' is Lucy Cometina Kurtz,
Hyde's wife.
Hyde (1860-1949) was a member of the Gaelic League and later became first president
of Ireland.
Jane Coffey (née l'Estrange) (1857-1921) was born into a Protestant family but married
Catholic George Coffey and became a member of the National Literary Society.