'How to tell the story of the Ulster Volunteer Nurses and the Cumann na mBan when such little original artefacts survive in the period 1910 to 1924.'

1. TWO THREADS; ONE COUNTRY- HOW TO TELL THE STORY
OF THE CUMANN NA MBAN AND THE U.V.F NURSES WHEN LITTLE
ORIGINAL MATERIAL SURVIVES IN THE PERIOD 1912 – 1922.
Rachel Sayers, Irish
Museums Association
Conference, Waterford,
R.O.I, 21st Feb 2014.

2.  ‘Overshadowed by ‘mainstream’ constitutional
debates….Irishwomen in the early 20th century
have until recently….been ‘written out’ of our
history…..’*
 ‘Women’s history is fragmented….a shadow
history of human beings whose existence has
been shaped by the efforts and demands of
others’*
*HILL, MYRTLE DR, ‘RE-VISIONING THE PAST: FEMALE PERSPECTIVES 1910 -22, BELFAST, APRIL 2012.
*JANEAWAY, ELIZABETH, ‘WOMEN: THEIR CHANGING ROLES, REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’, LONDON, 1993, P. 113

3. IRELAND AND ENGLAND BETWEEN 1910
- 1920
The 3rd Home Rule Crisis World War One 1914 -
1918
The ‘Suffrage’ Movement

4. THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE NURSING &
MEDICAL CORPS 1912 -1918.
Pictures © Quincey Dougan
Clifton Street Orange Hall Hospital, Belfast c 1914 Sir Edward Carson inspecting Nurses c 1913/14

5. THE U.V.F NURSESFormed in 1912 as an auxiliary to the Ulster
Volunteer Force. Their main role was to support
the U.V.F should Civil War occur in Ireland.
Though their main role was in Nursing, some
nurses trained in military drills. This included
using a rifle and participating in both the Larne
& Donaghadee gun running's. Some ladies even
smuggled rifles from England under their skirts!
Many U.V.F Nurses went onto serve with the
Red Cross in France in WW1 (1914-1918). They
were in charge of a hospital near Lyons, France.
This hospital was funded by the Ulster Unionist
Women’s Council.
Pictures © Quincey Dougan
U.V.F Nurses rifle practice, Donegal.
U.V.F Nurses & Doctors in Gilford, Co. Down.

6. MILLBOROUGH ROBERTS LEWIS
& LISA MC CONNELL
Photos © lennonwylie.co.uk
& McConnell family.
Milborough Roberts Lewis
(known as Milly) who
went on to serve in the,
‘Ulster Volunteer Medical
and Nursing Corps,’ in the
Great War. Nurse Milly
Lewis lived in the Upper
Newtownards road area
of Belfast.
Milly married the soldier
she nursed in WW1.
Unfortunately, Milly died
very young in 1927 of
Tuberculosis. Millborough Roberts Lewis
Lisa McConnell was a U.V.F
Nurse from Holywood, Co.
Down. Lisa’s sister-in-law
was also a nurse. Her father
and husband were both in
the U.V.F. A real family
affair!
It is unclear if Lisa went on
to serve in WW1. However,
she was awarded a medal
for her nursing. This
suggests she was a diligent
and hard working nurse.Lisa McConnell

7. Picture showing Lisa McConnell’s wearing
her Nursing medal (circled in red) c 1912.
Picture kindly provided by the McConnell
family.
Lisa McConnell’s actual medal worn in the
photograph taken (to the left) in Offices of
R.J. McConnell & Co, Estate Agents c 1912.

8. MONICA DE WICHFELD
Monia de Wichfeld in Danish
court dress © Alt Om Histoire
Danske magazine
(L) ) Monica and Jørgen de Wichfeld
(R) Varinka de Wichfeld-Muus.
 Born Monica Massy-Beresford in 1894. Family
were prominent landowners in Co. Fermanagh.
 Participated in the U.V.F Larne gun running of
1914 as her father was a Co. Antrim
commander.
 Went on to serve as a Nurse in WW1 and married
Jorgen de Wichfeld, a Danish aristocrat.
 Was a member of the Danish resistance in WW2.
Was caught by the Germans in 1943Sentenced to
life imprisonment by the Germans and died of
disease on Feb 27th 1945.
 Inspired her daughter Varinka (pictured left) to
join the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (F.A.N.Y)
during WW2.

9. U.V.F NURSES ARTEFACTS
1. © Imperial War Museums,
London.
2. Lisa McConnell’s medal ©
Grand Orange Lodge of
Ireland archives.
3. © Great Belfast War Clippings.
1.. 2. 3.

10. 1.
3.
2.
 1. U.V.F Nurses armband, South Down
Division © Quincey Dougan.
 2. Tyrone U.V.F. Nurses in France, 1915. ©
Great War Forum.
 3. St. John's Ambulance, Detachment
Portrush, Peace Day Procession the 26th July
1919 ©lennonwylie.co.uk

11. THE CUMANN NA MBAN 1912 - 1922
Lena Whelan © Michael
Purcell
Cumann na mBan lapel badge Kitty McLaughlin ©
irishvolunteers.org

12. THE CUMANN NA MBAN
Formed in Dublin on 2nd April 1914 after a meeting
led by Kathleen Lane-O’Kelly. They were formed as
an attachment to the Irish Citizen Army.
The ‘Inghinidhe na hÉireann’ (Daughters of Ireland)
also merged with the Cumann na mBann in 1914.
The primary aims of the organization was to ,
‘advance the cause of Irish Liberty’ and to ‘organize
Irishwomen in the furtherance of this cause.’
The Cumann na mBan are perhaps best known for
their role in the Easter Rising of 1916. Most of the
women worked as nurses, red cross workers,
message couriers, gathered intelligence or found
rations for the men whom were fighting.
Eithne Coyle , Mae Burke and
Linda Kearns ©
rootsweb.ancestry.com
Cumann na mBan on parade
c1914 – 1915.

13. CUMANN NA MBAN ARTEFACTS
1. 2. 3.
1. Cumann na mBan uniform ©
roddmyccorley.com.
2. Unknown Cumann na mBan
member © McGuinness
archive.
3. Cumann na mBan constitution
© theeasterrising.eu

14. 1. 2.
Programme of a ‘Grand Irish Concert’ in 1917 held
for the ‘Irish National Aid & Volunteer Dependent’s
Fund.
Handwritten account on the activities of
Cumann na mBan member Sorcha Mac
Mahon. Wrote by her brother Brian Mac
Mahon © Monaghan County Museum.

15. CUMANN NA MBAN
MILITARY DRILL
A very rare photograph of
Cumann na mBan members at a
military drill.
This photo was taken at
Brookfield, which is near Omagh,
Co. Tyrone.
One of only two photographs
found of either the U.V.F. Nurses
or Cumann na mBan members
being drilled in military
procedures or using military
rifles.
Photo © James Langton, irishvolunteers.org

16. DR. BRIGID LYONS-THORNTON
Dr. Brigid Lyons-Thornton, WT Cosgrave in Nice,
France in 1925 Photo © McGuinness Archive
Photo © Mayo Historical & Archaeological Society
(castlebar.ie)

17. DR. BRIGID LYONS-THORNTON
 Born into a Republican family from Roscommon in 1896. Her
father was unable to provide her with an education, so Brigid
lived with her Uncle (Frank McGuinness) in Longford. He paid for
her education until she went to Galway to study medicine in
1913.
 Brigid was a member of the Cumann na mBan and participated in
the Easter Rising of 1916. She used her medical skills to aid
injured members of the Irish Citizen Army.
 After Irish Independence in the early 1920’s, Brigid finished her
studies and became the 1st female commissioned Officer in the
Irish Army.
 Brigid married Capt. Eddie Thornton of Toomore, Co. Mayo. Brigid
then went on to dedicate her life to educating the poor on hygiene
and disease. This was after she had contracted TB in 1925.
Pictures © John Cowell in ‘A Noontide Blazing.’

18. KITTY MC LAUGHIN &
MARY SPRING-RICE
Photos ©
irishvolunteers.org,
irishistory.blogspot.co.uk
and reformation.org
 Kitty McLaughlin was
born in Dublin. She was
renowned for her good
looks- which she used to
charm British soldiers
giving up their weapons!
 During the Civil War
(1919 – 1922) Kitty hid
men on the run and
relieved drunk British
soldiers of ammunition.
 Kitty died in Dublin in the
1970’s.
 Mary Spring- Rice, (facing
away from the viewer), was
born into the ‘Protestant
Ascendancy’ in Limerick. She
became involved in the
Gaelic League and was a
member of the Glin branch
of the Cumann na mBan.
 Mary raised funds and was
involved in the Howth Gun
Running of 1914.
 She died at the age of 41 in
1924.

19. TRAVELLING EXHIBITION
‘Kinder Transport’ travelling exhibition © The
Weiner Library, London.
 A ‘travelling’ exhibition can be used in museums,
heritage sites, community spaces, schools etc. Or it
could be used in community & education out reach
programmes.
 One could be made on the U.V.F Nurses, Cumann
na mBan, Suffragettes etc. for the decade of
centenaries.
 Can be expensive to produce but can last a long
time and are good value for money i.e. using the
exhibition in different venues would re-cost the
money originally spent.
 Could illustrate items belonging in private
collections that people don’t want to donate to
museums.

20. ‘FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT’ : THE
BIRMINGHAM SUFFRAGETTES
Pictures ©
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fe
minismus & ‘Birmingham
Suffragettes’ project.
 Premise of project was to educate
young females in Birmingham on
Suffragette activity in the city. It’s
aim was also to bring two diverse
cultures together i.e. Islam &
Christianity.
 Girls from two schools
collaborated and researched to
make a film called ‘Fight for the
Right.’
 They learnt how the Suffragettes
fought for the freedom the young
girls have to day.
 Many female students came away
with a sense of how important to
‘vote’ is and an interest in politics.

21. ‘Fashions from the Home Front,’ study day in conjunction
with ‘Fashions from the Home Front’ exhibition @
Lotherton Hall, Leeds. © Leeds City Council.
‘Subversive Stitch,’ conference, V&A Museum,
29-30 Nov 2013. © V&A Museum, London

22. ‘Remembering the Future’ lecture series by the
Community Relations Council, 2012/13. Logo
© Community Relations Council NI.
‘Fashion and Conflict: Not living in Khaki,’
The Costume Society call for papers for study
day Oct 2014. © The Costume Society.

23. ‘LETTERS OF 1916’
PROJECT
Pictures © ‘Letters of 1916’ -
http://dh.tcd.ie/letters1916/
 Letters of 1916 aims to create a digital repository of
letters from the ‘Easter Rising’ era. Letters are not
limited to the Easter Rising but can include letters
from WW1, personal letters, postcards etc.
 Anybody can ‘transcribe’ the letters online. There
are letters from museum and private collections.
Thus revealing new information on the turbulent
year that was 1916.
 This project could be used as a model for the
‘problem’ of telling the story of Irish women
between 1912 – 1922.

24. ‘WOMEN OF IRELAND 1912 – 1922 APP.’
UVF Nurse © 1914 -
1918.invisionzone.com
Cumann na mBan member
© irishhistorypodcast.ie
 The app’s aim is to show that
women of all classes and
political beliefs played an
important role in Ireland
between 1912 – 1922.
 This app brings together stories
of places and cities associated
with women across the island
of Ireland.
 It includes information on
women involved in the
Suffrage Movement, Unionism
and Nationalism etc.
 The app is downloadable from:
http://www.ul.ie/wic/
 The app hopes to have 5 points
of interest for all 32 counties in
Ireland. The app is still in
development and seeking
funding.
 The app is a joint venture
between Professor Mary
O’Dowd, Queen’s University
Belfast and Professor Benadette
Whelan, University of Limerick.
 The app is downloadable for
both iPhone & Android devices.

25. CONTACT ME
TWITTER: @NylonsAndAll
E-MAIL:
rachelsayers87@hotmail.co.uk
WEBSITE:
themuseumstandard.co.uk