Cumann na mBan declared their support for the Irish Volunteers in November 1914 and their membership numbers suffered as a result. However by 1916 many who remained took an active part in the Easter Rising, serving as couriers, aides and nurses.
Eilís Uí Chonaill was born in 1894 in Longford into what she describes as a family 'with an Irish outlook', several family members were later involved in the revolutionary period. Eilís joined the Central Branch of Cumann na mBan at 25 Parnell Sqaure, Dublin after attending O'Donovan Rossa's funeral in August 1915. She was already a member of the Gaelic League.
To commemorate the centenary of the foundation of Cumann na mBan Military Archives has produced a comprehensive listing of relevant materials in our collections. This includes a wide range of references from popular collections such as the Bureau of Military History 1913-1921 www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie and the recently released first phase of the Military Service Pensions Collection . It also includes information from less familiar collections such as Civil War Captured Documents and Civil War Internment ledgers.
With ongoing work on the Military Service Pensions Collection and the cataloguing of various private papers, we expect more sources on Cumann na mBan to become available in the future.
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