Letter from Jane Gibson to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, 13 March 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Jane Gibson

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In this letter to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1877-1946) Mrs Gibson expresses her regrets but states that she is not up to any intellectual task at the moment and asks to be excused from speaking for the next few months. As a compromise she offers some alternative ideas and speakers. Hanna Sheehy Skeffington suffragette, nationalist, language teacher, was the founder of the Irish Women’s Franchise League and a founding member of the Irish Women Workers’ Union. She was the widow of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington who was summarily executed on 26 April 1916. She was active during the Rising, bringing food to the Volunteers in the G.P.O. and the College of Surgeons. Four days passed before she found out what had happened to her husband, Francis (1878-1916), and it wasn't until almost two weeks later that the full details of his execution emerged.

 National Library of Ireland Sheehy Skeffington Papers, Collection List No. 47; MS 33,604/17-7 https://letters1916.ie/item/3473 English Jane Gibson 1916-03-13 2 Dartmouth Square, Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland Hanna Sheehy Skeffington Female Politics Politics

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 2 Dartmouth Sq March 13th 16 Dear Mrs Sheehy Skeffington Thanks for your nice letter & it iswith regrets I must say —at present any way Icould not knock up a price of a paper or speech.I feel so deadly dull & uninteresting & have notime to sit down to any thing intellectual — if youwould let me off for the next couple of months — afterthat I might get time to try — but you have somany good speakers & I think really willinghelpers — I could make only a very poor show.Would Mrs Rciahrdson do something in thay wayfor you? She made a very good after noon for theReform League on Miss Martin's Man maybe she would help you — only don't say I putyou on to her. And another person who might do somethingwould be Miss Josephine Webb — in suffrageon Reconciliation — she does short papers etc.very nicely & broad mindedly. It makes me feel bad to refuse but dearneeds must — good wishes Jane Gibson 2 Dartmouth Square, Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland Letter from Jane Gibson to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, 13 March 1916 Jane Gibson Letter from Jane Gibson to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, 13 March 1916