Joseph Plunkett

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Joseph Plunkett (ca.1910)

Joseph Mary Plunket ( Irish Seosamh Máire Pluincéid * November 21, 1887 in Dublin , † May 4, 1916 ibid) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising .

Live and act

childhood and education

Plunkett was born at 26 Upper Fitzwilliam Street in one of Dublin's most affluent boroughs. His parents came from wealthy backgrounds and his father, George Noble Plunkett , had been named Count of Rome .

Plunkett contracted tuberculosis at a young age and spent part of his youth in the warmer climates of the Mediterranean and North Africa . He lived for some time in Algiers , where he studied Arabic literature and language and wrote poetry in Arabic. He attended Catholic University School (CUS) and the Jesuit- run Belvedere College in Dublin and Stonyhorst College in Lancashire , where he acquired military knowledge. Plunkett was actively interested in Irish cultural heritage and the Irish language, studied Esperanto and was one of the founders of the Irish Esperanto League . He joined the Gaelic League and began studying with Thomas MacDonagh , with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Both were poets with an interest in the theater and early members of the Irish Volunteers , whose Provisional Committee they joined.

Plunkett's interest in Irish nationalism carried over to his family, especially his younger brothers George and John, as well as his father, who used his Kimmage property in south Dublin as a training camp for young men who withdrew from British military service for World War I and instead wanted to fight for Ireland.

IRB participation

In 1915, Plunkett joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and was soon sent to Germany to meet Roger Casement , who was negotiating with the German government on behalf of the Irish-American nationalists of the Clan na Gael . Since Casement was not a member of the IRB, however, Plunkett was supposed to establish the organization's official contact with Germany in order to negotiate German aid for the planned uprising. Plunkett received the promise of a German arms delivery.

Plunkett was one of the founding members of the IRB Military Committee, which was responsible for planning the Easter Rising. Shortly before the uprising began, Plunkett was hospitalized for health problems and had an operation on his throat glands a few days before Easter. He was unable to participate actively in the uprising due to his health, but took his place in the General Post Office alongside other uprising leaders such as Patrick Pearse and Thomas James Clarke . His adjutant was Michael Collins .

Marriage, Execution, and Reconsideration

After the surrender, Plunkett was held at Kilmainham Gaol and sentenced to death by shooting by a court martial. Seven hours before his execution , he married Grace Gifford, who had converted to Catholicism , in the prison chapel and who did not remarry after his death.

His brothers George Oliver Plunkett and Jack Plunkett joined him in the Easter Rising and later became important members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The main train station in Waterford City was named after Joseph Plunkett, as was the now demolished Joseph Plunkett Tower in Ballymun and the Plunkett barracks in Curragh Camp ( County Kildare ).

Representation in art

The Irish ballad "Grace", written by Seán and Frank O'Meara, is a monologue by Plunkett who expressed his love for Grace and his love for the cause of Irish freedom in the hours leading up to his execution. The ballad was mainly covered by Jim McCann. The subject was also sung about by Rod Stewart .

Joseph Plunkett is also mentioned in the Irish rebel song "Sean South of Garryowen".

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Grace Gifford Plunkett on Irish freedom. In: Google books. Retrieved February 4, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Count Plunkett. Retrieved February 4, 2020 .
  3. ^ Joseph Mary Plunkett: Ailing writer who shaped the rebellion. Irish Independent, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Lyrics of Grace. In: The Mudcat Cafe. May 16, 1998, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Grace. In: YouTube. Google Ireland Limited, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Grace. In: YouTube. Google Ireland Limited, accessed February 4, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Plunkett, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Plunket, Joseph Mary; Pluincéid, Seosamh Máire (Irish)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising
DATE OF BIRTH November 21, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin
DATE OF DEATH May 4, 1916
Place of death Dublin