B137: Grace

Grace Gifford Plunkett 1888-1955

​The performance of the Irish Olympics team in Paris was incredible and really lifted the mood of the whole country in this damp and miserable summer.  An unprecedented number of medals were won and national records broken.  They did us proud, every one of them.  One of the most memorable moments wasn’t even a sports performance for me.  It was seeing Irish boxer Kellie Harrington belt out Grace (her party-piece) in Stade Roland Garros after her stunning gold medal victory in the women's lightweight final.  

Joseph Mary Plunkett 1887-1916

​Now, it might seem a bit odd to be singing about an execution on a night of celebration.  But we Irish have a habit of singing sad songs.  Sure, The Fields of Athenry (our unofficial sports anthem) is the same in a way; a couple on the verge of a lifetime’s loss due to deportation.  The raw emotion in all of these song lyrics, combined with haunting melodies, creates a poignant and moving experience. Love shared, captured in tragic circumstances, serves as a reminder of the strength and resilience of the human spirit. It’s a testament to the power of love, even in the face of adversity and impending loss.  So maybe not so unconnected to the Olympics after….. all when you think of all of the sacrifices needed to make it there for both athletes and families.

Inside Old Kilmainham Jail, Dublin

As many people know, the heart wrenching-ballad Grace tells the true story of Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett, who were married in Kilmainham Gaol hours before he was executed by firing squad for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916.
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"Oh Grace just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They'll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won't be time to share our love for we must say goodbye."

Stonebreaker's Yard, Kilmainham Jail where Joseph was executed in 1916

​The song was originally written in 1985 by Frank and Séan O'Meara, and has been performed many times and by many people over the years, including by Rod Stewart.  For me, one of the most moving renditions of Grace was performed as part of the 1916 centenary commemorations on Easter Monday 2016.  Danny O’Reilly (from The Coronas) along with his sister, Roisin O’Reilly and cousin Aoife Scott performed a stunning vocal rendition inside Kilmainham Gaol, where the story of the song is set. The captivating performance was part of RTE’s centenary programmes and I’m sharing it below.

​This song has always stopped me in my tracks. It’s deeply moving, beautifully written and the fact that it’s based on true events from this particular time in Irish history, it resonates all the more.

Aoife, Danny & Roisin in Kilmainham Jail - Easter Monday 2016

So, a little about the people involved…..Grace Gifford was born in Dublin to a Protestant mother and Catholic father in 1888, 28 years before the rising at the GPO.  A talented artist, whose work focused on cartoons, Grace was active in the Republican movement despite being raised Protestant and living an affluent childhood. She is known to have had a deep interest in Catholicism—and converted when she met her future husband, Joseph Plunkett.

Grace met her future husband through her brother-in-law Thomas MacDonagh, another man executed after the Rising, who was married to her sister Muriel.  Joseph proposed to Grace in 1915-- the pair planned a double wedding with his sister and her fiancé, and the wedding date was set for Easter Sunday, 1916.
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But instead, the failed uprising, now known as the Easter Rising of 1916, took place, and Joseph was captured and imprisoned in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol along with the other leaders, including Thomas MacDonagh.

Above: Aoífe Scott, Danny O’Reilly & Róisín Ó (Reilly) 

Hearing that her fiancé was to be executed by firing squad at dawn, Grace bought a ring from a Dublin jewellers and pleaded with the military authorities to allow their wedding to take place.  As the famous song goes, Grace and Joseph were married on the grounds of the prison, hours before Joseph Plunkett was executed for his role in the Easter Rising.

Struggling for money and for housing, with just her cartoons to sell to make a meagre wage, the chance of financial security was withheld by her in-laws, who denied her husband's will, which stated that all of his money be left to her, as it contained only one witness' signature.

Joseph Plunkett, in his final letter to his soon-to-be-widow, had requested that she fight for the money as it was rightfully hers-- and after a number of years, Joseph's parents agreed to pay her a sum of money.   She also received a Civil Pension from Éamon DeValera's government in 1932, allowing her to live the rest of her days in relative security.
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Grace Gifford-Plunkett died in 1955 at the age of 67, and was buried with full military honours, close to her husband's final resting place in Glasnevin Cemetery.  Her grave continues to receive countless visitors each year, many of whom were moved by the song which put music to Joseph Plunkett's last thoughts. ❤️

 ​[Chorus: Aoífe Scott & Róisín Ó]
Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms, and let this moment linger
They take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love so we must say goodbye

[Verse 2: Danny O'Reilly, Aoífe Scott & Róisín Ó]
Now I know it's hard for you, my love, to ever understand
The love I bear for these brave men, my love for this dear land
But when Padraic called me to his side down in the G.P.O.
I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go

[Chorus: Aoífe Scott & Róisín Ó]
Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms, and let this moment linger
They take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won't be time to share our love so we must say goodbye

[Outro: Aoífe Scott]
There won’t be time to share our love so we must say goodbye

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Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog post 137
​Number 74(b) - Experiences - Pick 80 Songs/ Pieces of Music

• "Grace" as performed by Aoífe Scott, Danny O’Reilly & Rόisín Ó (Reilly) 
  

​Other Blog Posts
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China
Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China
Blog 19 - California, USA
Blog 27 - Scotland
Blog 28 - Barbados
Blog 29 - Canada

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