Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Anno O'Rahilly (see here), revolutionary,
|
The elopement story:
There is a story in Ballylongford that, while her father
Richard Rahilly
was alive (before 1896),
Anna eloped
with Paddy Brandon,
the son of a local harness-maker,
a match her father
would have considered to be beneath her.
The story is that she took money with her (perhaps from the till)
and they left town with the aim of going to America.
They set out on the journey to
the port at
Queenstown, Co.Cork.
Her father Richard went after them and caught them.
(They would have been on foot.)
He caught them in Rockchapel, Co.Cork
(which is on the road from Ballylongford
to Queenstown, see map).
Anna was brought back.
Brandon went on to Cork and joined the army. In later years he came back to live in Ballylongford. He never married. Neither did Anna. Anna lived in luxury on Ailesbury Road in Dublin and died in 1958. Brandon died in poverty in Ballylongford in 1961. |
"Anna Rahilly of Ballylongford" wit her sister
Nell's marriage 1895.
After her father's death 1896,
she moved 1898 to
Quinsborough House, Co.Clare
with her mother.
The purchase of
Quinsborough
was made by "Anna Rahilly of Ballylongford, spinster", Nov 1898
[Deed, Nov 1898].
She claimed to be the first woman motorist
in Limerick.
She was an early nationalist.
Sighle
in
[Mac Eoin, 1980]
says Anno was a reader from 1899 on of
Arthur Griffith's
United Irishman.
She says Anno was a big influence in her becoming nationalist and radical:
"I got all of my ideas from her."
Her sister Nell and husband and children
had joined them at Quinsborough
by Sept 1902.
Nell's husband died 1903.
Nell and Anno's mother died 1903.
Anno never married, always lived with
her sister Nell and family.
Anno had great interest in sport - golf, tennis, hunting, had them playing tennis on lawn at Quinsborough.
See Quinsborough photos.
She
moved to Dublin with Nell and family 1909.
She joined
Gaelic League.
Sighle
in
[Mac Eoin, 1980]
recalls that Anno read all the radical nationalist press:
"all of which came into our house."
[McCoole, 2003]
says she was involved in
Sinn Fein
from 1914.
Along with her brother
The O'Rahilly
she reverted to the old spelling "O'Rahilly".
Her brother
The O'Rahilly
was a leader of the
1916 Rising,
and he died in action.
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Revolutionary in 1916-23 period:
Both Nell and Anno were revolutionaries in 1916-23 period. Anno was treasurer of the Prisoners' Dependency Fund after the 1916 Rising. [P106/183] (see p.1 and p.2) is an undated letter to her, possibly 1916/17, about the distribution of republican funds, from S.M. O'Mara of Limerick. This may be Stephen Mary O'Mara. [P106/215] (see photo) is a receipt showing Anno paying the deposit for a candidate in the 1918 general election. She and Nancy Brown and other family worked hard on the campaign of Desmond Fitzgerald in that election. Anno is paying the deposit for Fitzgerald, not for herself. She had revolutionary, "almost Communist" views. The first money to be handled on behalf of Dail Eireann 1919 was a loan of £2000 from "Miss Anna O'Rahilly". Nell and Anno moved to 36 Ailesbury Rd 1920. The house was safe house in War of Independence.
In Civil War (started June 1922),
Anno and family took republican side.
In prison, 1922-23:
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Anno lived Ailesbury Rd with Nell's family.
She never married.
Despite her almost communist politics,
she made a lot of money investing on the stock market in the mid 1920s.
She was a friend of
Margaret Pearse,
helped her
keep St.Enda's going.
She played golf at
Elm Park Golf Club.
After Nell died 1939, Anno lived on her own in Ailesbury Rd for many years.
First will dated 19 June 1947.
At her death she had shares in Ireland in
Cement Ltd
and
Guinness
and
Permanent Building Society.
She also had shares in England in
Imperial Chemical Industries
and
John Brown shipbuilders
and
Shell
and
Woolworths
and
United Drapery Stores
and
Distillers Company
and
Automatic Telephone and Electric Co.
[P106/208]
shows she had shares in
Lever Brothers
and then
Unilever.
Later
will dated
24 Jan 1957.
She left money to the
Good Shepherd convent, Sunday's Well, Cork,
where her aunt
Bridget Mangan (died 1915)
and cousin
Annie Mangan (died 1949)
had been nuns.
See also her cousin
Alice Mangan.
She died 36 Ailesbury Rd,
Mon 6th Oct 1958, age 85 yrs,
bur with her parents at
Lislaughtin Abbey
near Ballylongford.
She insisted on having
Corrigan's of Dublin
as the undertakers,
as back in 1916 they
were the only ones that would agree to bury her brother.
Funeral list in
[P106/715].
Funeral mass celebrated by
Alfred O'Rahilly.
The President and Taoiseach
sent representatives to the funeral.
Thomas McEllistrim, TD
represented the Taoiseach.
Probate granted at Dublin, 5 Mar 1959.
See probate and will
p.1
and p.2
and p.3.
(todo) See papers in
[P106/296].
Emmet moved in to Ailesbury Rd.
Ursuline Convent, Waterford, 1888.
Anno (age 15) is somewhere here.
Think she might be 2nd row RHS, end of row.
See larger
and full size.
Think this might be Anno.
From above.
There are two Brandons listed
as saddlers in
BALLYLONGFORD
in
[Guy's, 1886].
The story is that when she was young,
Anna eloped
with Paddy Brandon,
the son of a local harness-maker.
Sketch of Anna on her bicycle in 1894
by
Richard Henry Rahilly.
See larger.
From
[P106/289].
See other scan of
top and
bottom.
The P106 listing says this is
Anna on her bicycle
in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
It says
c.1880 but that is impossible.
Probably c.1895.
See larger
and full size.
Image 5866 in
Humphrys glass negatives.
Light-adjusted.
See original.
See copy
in
[P106/326].
See other scan.
See other scan.
Anna, on bicycle, 1895.
This is
[P106/301].
See
larger
and
full size.
The
back
dates this as 1895.
The P106 listing
(see photo)
says Quinsborough, but too early for Quinsborough.
And doesn't look like it.
See other scan.
See other copy.
Image 5794 in
Humphrys glass negatives.
Light-adjusted.
See original.
See other scan.
This is
[P106/299].
Caption says
Anna Rahilly (perhaps back, 2nd from left) and others.
Could front left be Ellen Mangan?
Caption says
Quinsborough. Can this room be identified?
Photo would be c.1900.
See
larger
and
full size.
I had thought this is Nell.
But
Cróine
thinks it is Anno.
Photo c.1900.
Image 5754 in
Humphrys glass negatives.
See larger
and full size.
Light-adjusted.
See original.
See other copy.
Think this is Anno,
NOT Nell, c.1900.
Think this gate may be at the back of
Quinsborough.
See larger
and full size.
Image 5819 in
Humphrys glass negatives.
Light-adjusted.
See original.
See other copy.
(Left to Right):
Sighle,
Cróine,
Anno, c.1945.
Anno in
Ailesbury Rd
in 1950s.
See full size.
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