September stories.

There were several ideas that caught my interest this month and I wanted to write about. Instead time allows me now to gesture in the direction of of one their stories, that of Elizabeth O'Farrell.

I wanted to write about a visit to Glasnevin Cemetery, and the many interesting people buried there. I wanted to know more about the story of Elizabeth O'Farrell, who was very involved in the 1916 Rising. And about "her faithful comrade and lifelong friend, Sheila Grenan”, who is buried in the same grave with her.

Elizabeth O'Farrell and Sheila Grenan grave, Glasnevin Cemetery.

O'Farrell was in the GPO throughout Easter Week 1916 and she delivered Pearse's surrender to the British military. She was standing with Pearse when he surrendered, with her feet and skirt visible behind Pearse in a famous photograph of that moment. Yet her feet were removed from later reproductions of the photo, with some interpreting this as her being "airbrushed from history", along with the lack of attention to her role and the participation of other women in the events of 1916. O'Farrell's relationship with Grenan certainly seems to be one of lesbian lifelong romantic partner. Yet this is also little discussed. I cannot do her story justice here. Read some of these sources and puzzle out its nuances for yourself.

https://www.glasnevintrust.ie/visit-glasnevin/interactive-map/elizabeth-ofarrell/

Glasnevin Cemetery, map and information about O'Farrell and Grenan's grave.

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000737604/CollectionList

The Elizabeth O'Farrell and Sheila Julia Grenan papers in the National Library including her account of 1916.

https://www.dublininquirer.com/2015/11/25/remembering-the-lesbians-who-fought-in-the-easter-rising/

Advocating for acknowledgement that O'Farrell and some others involved in 1916 were lesbians. Also noting that O'Farrell's relationship with Grenan meets and surpasses the criteria by which similar relationships between men and women were deemed to be romantic.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_O%27Farrell

Wikipedia page on Elizabeth O'Farrell.

https://www.dublincity.ie/story/elizabeth-o%E2%80%99farrell-woman-white-flag-transcript

Transcript of a talk given in 2016 by O'Farrell's grand-nephew Ian.

https://ireland-calling.com/nurse-elizabeth-ofarrell-historic-role-in-the-1916-easter-rising/

Including a video interview with O'Farrell's grandniece Donna.

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-1916/1916irl/cpr/cwr/eof/

Stories from the Statistics, from the Central Statistics Office information about O'Farrell.

http://www.theirishstory.com/2016/03/10/airbrushed-out-of-history-elizabeth-ofarrell-and-patrick-pearses-surrender-1916/#.XXNlljjTV-E

Detailed article about the photographs, location of the surrender and O'Farrell's role.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/1916/rank-and-file/elizabeth-ofarrell-the-woman-airbrushed-from-history-34413628.html

Irish Independent newspaper article by an historian about O'Farrell.

www.thejournal.ie/eirebrushed-play-1428985-Apr2014

The Journal online newspaper article about O'Farrell, the photographs and a play 'Eirebrushed' about her being 'airbrushed' from history.

https://www.comeheretome.com/2016/01/28/moore-street

Come Here To Me article showing some street art about the surrender and discussing O'Farrell and Moore Street.

https://presspack.rte.ie/2011/10/02/reabhloid-revolutionary-tales-final-episode/

RTE documentary about O'Farrell.

https://m.welfare.ie/en/pressoffice/Pages/sp241116.aspx

A speech by then Minister Varadkar at the opening of Elizabeth O'Farrell House in 2016: "We may never know the exact nature of their relationship, but it is enough to say that when they died they were buried in the same grave together in Glasnevin Cemetery."