1
May 1916 33, FITZROY SQUARE,
W. Dear Mrs Sheehy Skeffington
I don't like to bother
you with a letter but I
feel I must write I am so
appalled and miserable about
Mr Sheehy Skeffington. Your
suffering is too dreadful. The
story is shocking and horrifying
everyone here is
great in . I hope
to come over to see you
if I can get permission
2
I shall hope to see you then if
you will let me. It is all
quite heart breaking With all my sympathy
Yours v sincerely
Eva Gore Booth
Letter from Eva Gore-Booth (1870-1926) to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1877-1946) regarding
the death of Hanna's Husband, Francis. Eva expresses a desire to visit Markievicz,
if she is able to get permission, adding that she hopes she will be able to see Hanna
during this visit.
Eva Gore-Booth was a poet, trade unionist, suffragist, and an active social campaigner,
mostly on women's issues, and contributor to the Irish literary revival from the late
1890s. A sister of Constance Markievicz, she was active in the campaign for a reprieve
of Markievicz's death sentence for her participation in the Easter Rising and for
the improvement of her prison conditions.
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.