Sighle Bean Ui Dhonnchadha

It was with great sadness that we all heard last week of the death of Manchán Magan- author, traveller, broadcaster and documentary maker whose love of the Irish language was infectious. His book ‘32 words for field’ amongst others provided a new way of looking at both the land and language.

What many people might not have known was that Manchán was the grandson of Sheila Humphreys, member of Cumann na mBan, and a great-grandnephew of The O'Rahilly of 1916 fame.

Of the former Sheila Humphreys, the Evening Herald provided this insight following her death in 1994:

Sighle Bean Ui Dhonnchadha

A FORMER vice president of Cumann na mBan has died at the age of 95. Sighle Bean Ui Dhonnchadha — Sheila Humphries — is survived by her daughter Croinne. Her remains will be taken to Donnybrook Church on Friday for burial on Saturday. Born in Limerick, she carried arms to the IRA during the civil war. She went on hunger strike twice at Mountjoy prison and later was a member of the national executive of Saor Eire, which was banned in 1931. She married Donal O'Donoghue, in 1937.

The Irish Press noted her involvement in the Civil War period with the following note:

In 1922 Ernie O'Malley. as the IRA's Assistant Chief of Staff, set up a headquarters in the Humphreys' home, now in Ailesbury Road, where he was discovered in a secret room during a raid in September 1922. While he made his escape, the entire family were arrested. She subsequently went on a brief hunger strike in Mountjoy jail after being put in solitary, and again in October 1923 for 31 days. She was released that November.

She continued as an activist with the IRA and Cumann na mBan acting as one of the Cumann's organisers during the Cosgrave administration. In 1928 she was the architect of a series of pamphlets signed "Ghosts", aimed at generating opposition among the police and Army to the Free Statt Government, and was subsequently jailed again on a number of occasions.

For more information search the pages of the Irish Newspaper Archive (www.irishnewsarchive.com )