Letter from Francis Sheehy Skeffington to Laurence Ginnell, 24 January 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from Francis Sheehy Skeffington to Laurence Ginnell, 24 January 1916

1 11, Grosvenor Place,
Rathmines, Dublin. 24 — I.— 16. Dear Mr. Ginnell, A man named Patrick Ryan, who lives in a two-pair back room in
a tenement house at 8 Mary's Abbey, Dublin, came to me the other day
with the following story. Someone — possably an enemy, probably a
practical joker — has signed his (Ryan's) name to a recruiting form,
offering his services when called on. In consequence he has re-
ceived, first a circular and then a telegram, telling him to report
himself at the Grafton St. Recruiting office for enlistment. He
went to the office, and explained that he had never signed any form;
the officials declared that they held his signature; he demanded that
it be produced; they refused, and detained him for some time in the
office; then they let him go, and he thought the trouble was over.
But within the last few days three men in khaki came to his room and
said they were sent to fetch him. He refused to go; the other res-
idents in the tenement gathered, and their demeanour was such that
the soldiers beat a retreat . But, being an ignorant and obviously
timid man, he lives in dread of their coming again and taking him by
force; and he appealed to me to help him. Will you ask a question with regard to this case? It appears
to he an attempt to intimidate a man into joining under false preten-
ces. With the best wishes, and congratulations on your persistent vote
against conscription. FS Skeffington

Letter from Francis Sheehy Skeffington to Laurence Ginnell regarding the enlistment of Patrick Ryan. According to Skeffington someone enlisted Ryan without his knowledge and the military authorities have been searching for him. Skeffington requests that Ginnell looks into the issue and thanks him for his consistent vote against conscription in Ireland. Francis Sheehy Skeffington (1878-1916), journalist, was a prominent feminist, activist and co-founder of the Irish Women's Franchise league in 1908. In 1912, he and his wife, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1877-1946), founded the suffragist newspaper The Irish Citizen. A staunch pacifist and nationalist, Sheehy Skeffington opposed Irish involvement in the Great War. During the Easter Rising, he attempted to organise a civilian defence force to prevent looting and saved the life of a British officer under fire. Arrested on the evening of Tuesday 25 April 1916, Sheehy Skeffington and two other civilians were shot by firing squad on the morning of Wednesday 26 April. Laurence Ginnell (1852 – 1923) was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer, and member of parliament. He initially ran as a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, but, from 1910 onward he ran as an Independent Nationalist.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__3946.html)