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Linda
Kearns (1888 - 1951)
Irish Republican Nurse, Easter Rising
Participant, Prisoner of War,
Participant in the Irish War of
Independence, anti-Treaty Activist, and Irish Republic proponent in
America.
Gifted with intelligence, motivation, courage and a sense of self-worth,
Linda found expression for her unique qualities in Ireland’s quest to
reclaim its cultural heritage and rights to nationhood at the turn of
the 20th century. A nurse by profession she served humanity
in times of war and peace. A soldier by happenstance, she braved the
inherent dangers and fears to serve her homeland unreservedly. As a
prisoner-of-war she suffered through extreme interrogations and inhuman
prison conditions. Undaunted, she escaped her colonial captors to
continue her quest for the Irish Republic she embraced, and for which
her friend Thomas MacDonagh and his comrades in arms gave their
lives.
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 Childhood
and Early Years
Belinda Kearns
was one of nine children born to Thomas and Catherine Nora Kearns (née
Clarke) on July 1, 1888, in Cloonagh, Dromard West, Co. Sligo. As with
any name that can be truncated and still retain its essence, Belinda
became Linda during her early years and remained so throughout her life.
According to the
1901 census,
she was listed as the second youngest child, the youngest being Nora. In
the 1911 census, no more children were listed after Nora. The 1911
census had a column added to record the number of children born alive to
the Kearns and the number still alive by 1911.
The Kearns operated a small farm in Cloonagh. It's not known if they
owned or rented the land. They may have been amongst the 25,000-plus
tenant farmers who were able to purchase the land they rented with loans
from funds set aside by provisions of the Land Act of 1885. Farmers who
participated in the scheme were able to borrow the full amount payable
back over 48 years.
There is no history of nationalism or agrarianism in the Kearns family.
Linda may have been the exception.
Linda received her primary education at the local national school in
Dromard. At that time, primary education was all that was available to
most children unless a child won a scholarship, or their parents could
afford to pay for secondary education. Linda was one of the lucky ones
who was either selected or won a scholarship to Brussels where she
received her secondary education. The only other way for children to
access secondary education was by professing to a religious vocation and
submitting oneself to the culture and rituals of a religious order.
Free secondary education was introduced in Ireland in 1967.
In
1907, after completing her secondary education in Brussels, Kearns
returned to Ireland where she studied and trained to be a nurse at the
Baggot St. Hospital in Dublin. A brilliant student, she graduated first
in her class with first class honors. After completing her training, she
worked as a private nurse to Maurice
O'Connor Morris, a wealthy barrister who hailed from the landed gentry
in Offaly. During her time as O'Connor Morris's nurse, she spent time
with him in France, Switzerland, and Egypt. Upon his death in 1916, he
left Kearns £2,500 in his will.
Cultural and Political Nationalism
By the time Kearns finished her nurses’ training, the Gaelic League and
other Irish cultural and nationalistic organizations were well
established throughout Ireland. Branches of the Gaelic League were
numerous and within reach to those such as Kearns who wanted to learn
Irish and reclaim an important strand of their identity. Over time she
became an Irish language
enthusiast. In her quest to master the language she attended lessons in
Dublin and visited the
Tourmakeady Gaeltacht in Co. Mayo for three summers in a row to immerse
herself in the language and capture some of its nuances.
Kearns's first exposure to Irish Republicanism came about as a result of
a chance meeting with
Thomas MacDonagh
in 1915.
According to her statement to the Bureau of Military History in 1950,
she first met MacDonagh at the Ms. Quinn Nursing Home in Mountjoy Square
when visiting a friend who was a patient there. Her statement referred
to MacDonagh as being a patient there. As there is no other account of
MacDonagh being ill, injured, or in a nursing home, it’s possible that
he too was a visitor. Having offered that caveat, it is still possible
that after thirty-five years Kearns's recollection of that chance
meeting was correct and that MacDonagh was being treated there for some
illness or injury. Coincidentally, the facility was also used as a
surgical center, for it was there that
Joseph Mary Plunkett
was operated on a few days before the Easter rising of 1916.
During that chance meeting with MacDonagh, Kearns described the
atrocious conditions she witnessed at the typhus hospital in Belmullet
in Co. Mayo during a visit to her sister who was caring for the patients
there. She went on to describe the hospital as a converted barn with
holes in the roof and patients lying on the floor, left there to die.
What she witnessed was a calculated assault on humanity by an uncaring
and disengaged government. In response, MacDonagh, a
well-versed political activist, educator, poet, and revolutionary,
described how the British government and their cohorts in Ireland
had mistreated the Irish people for centuries. He also informed her that
the nationalistic movement afoot in Ireland was aimed at ridding Ireland
of the scourge of British imperialism such as she had witnessed
firsthand in Belmullet. She met him on a few other occasions before the
Easter Rising in 1916. On one such occasion he advised her to stay in
Ireland instead of going to France to help the war-wounded there as her
skills would be needed in Ireland.
Kearns was not a member of Cumann na mBan as some accounts suggest.
However, she did instruct its members in first aid and medical hygiene
basics alongside other Republican nurses and doctors.
At
some time before or after the Easter Rising, Kearns and her sister set
up a nursing home
in
Gardiner Place. It may have been more of a visiting nursing service than
a nursing home as Kearns mentioned in one of her accounts that they did
not take in patients. As some accounts suggest it may also have
functioned as a stopover for Republican men on the run.
Activism and Armed Insurgency
A
few days after the onset of the Easter Rising on Monday, April 24, 1916,
Kearns was approached by
Seán O'Mahony
and asked to set up a Red Cross Hospital, which she did in an empty
house in North Great George St. off Parnell St. in the City Center. With
the help of neighbors, sufficient bedding, dressing, and other essential
supplies were collected, and the house was readied for use. The staff
consisted of six young women to help her care for the wounded and two
young men to carry stretchers. According to her own account as
described in her book "In Times of Peril" she was busy from the onset
caring for wounded civilians and Republican combatants and a British
Tommy who had his finger shot off. The Tommy thought he was in a British
emergency hospital. On Thursday morning a British officer visited the
hospital and ordered the staff to only treat British soldiers or else
close it up. Kearns choose to cease operations as the primary intent was
to treat volunteers, and in the service of humanity, treat others
needing medical attention regardless of affiliation.
For the rest of the week of the Rising, Kearns did dispatch work
and scouted the streets for wounded volunteers. On Friday evening she
came across a body in a lane off Moore Street. On approaching the body,
she was told by a British officer standing guard that there was no point
in moving him as he was quite dead. The body was that of the
O'Rahilly.
Early in 1917, after Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers were
released from prisons and internment camps in England and Wales, Kearns
was contacted by
Michael Collins
and
Diarmuid O'Hegarty
to discuss a new assignment. Both Collins and O’Hegarty were members of
the IRA Supreme Council. At that time, the IRA was in the early stages
of reorganizing and reestablishing communication networks throughout the
country. As part of that effort, Kearns's new assignment was to carry
messages to IRA leaders mostly in the west of Ireland. Having family in
Sligo she had an excuse for traveling west when suspected couriers were
taken off trains and searched. On one occasion as she was being removed,
she slipped a book containing a communiqué to a young man who shared the
compartment with her. On her return he handed the book back to her
remarking "That was a close call". He, too, happened to be a volunteer.
At
some time in 1917, Kearns purchased a car with
the money bequeathed to her by Maurice
O'Connor Morris. As the owner of a car, Kearns became a highly valued
asset for the IRA. Her assignments became much more dangerous especially
after the onset of the War of Independence. By then many of her
assignments involved transporting guns and ammunition to
flying columns,
involved in setting ambushes,
and treating those injured during the ensuing fighting. Over
time, her role as a courier evolved into that of a frontline soldier,
and as such became a sworn member of the Irish Republican Army.
Capture and Imprisonment
On
one dark night in late November of 1920 her luck ran out when she when
stopped by a contingent of Black and Tans and British army soldiers. For
the first time as an IRA courier, she could not talk or bluff her way
out as she had done so many times before. This time she was caught red
handed with three volunteers and a cache of guns and ammunition in the
car.
Kearns and the Volunteers along with the guns and ammunition, were taken
to the RIC barracks in Sligo where they were interrogated. During the
interrogation, the head RIC constable known as Spud Murphy beat her up
about the head and chest and broke one of her teeth. He eventually
stopped after one of the Black and Tans protested and told him to stop.
After a week in Sligo Jail Kearns was taken by destroyer to Buncrana in
Donegal and from there to Derry Jail. After a week or so in Derry Jail
she was transferred to Armagh Jail where she remained until her
court-martial in late February of 1921. The court-martial was presided
over by four British army officers. Found guilty on twenty-six counts
she was sentenced to ten years penal servitude. The main charge was
being an accessory to the murder of six policemen.
After a few weeks back in Armagh Jail, Kearns was transferred to Waltham
prison in Liverpool before a planned escape could be carried out.
Conditions in Waltham prison were horrific. Bad, uncooked and rotting
food, disease and cold, and medieval sanitary conditions were synonymous
with Waltham. On numerous occasions Kearns petitioned the Home Office
for a transfer back to Ireland, not an unusual request as other Irish
petitioners, including
Dr Eileen McGrane,
were sent back to Ireland. After been refused, Kearns informed the
governor that she would go on hunger strike until her petition was
granted. After ten days on hunger strike the authorities relented and on
September 14, 1921, she was transported back to Mountjoy Jail in
Dublin.
Escape and Freedom
Sick and weak after her hunger strike ordeal, Kearns was placed in the
hospital after her arrival in Mountjoy Jail. She was well cared for by
hospital staff, and afterwards by prison wardens. Kearns was one of
twelve women prisoners serving time in Mountjoy Jail. Eileen McCrane
whom Kearns had met in Walton prison was one of the prisoners. The
others included Eithne Coyle, Eileen Keogh, Mary Burke and K. Brady, who
were active members of the insurgency. Three young women from Cork who
were arrested while working in a field close to the site of an ambush,
may have been victims of circumstances.
Within weeks of her arrival in Mountjoy, Kearns was colluding with the
other prisoners and outside collaborators on plans to escape. Eileen
McCrane declined to participate as did K. Brady. McCrane requested that
the three Cork women not be included as they were nearing the end of
their sentences. Kearns together with Eithne Coyle, Eileen Keogh and
Mary Burke were the ones on board for the escape attempt. In possession
of cell and corridor keys made from wax impressions they finalized their
plans. On the night of the planned escape, the women made a lot of noise
playing a game of football in the corridor outside their cells as they
always did. As long as the noise prevailed, the wardens were less
inclined to keep a close watch on them. In the meantime, the four
escapees slipped away, one at a time, and made their way to the
pre-designated location where a rope ladder would be thrown over the
wall. Kearns was the first to climb the ladder as she was serving the
longest sentence. The other followed without incident, although the
first attempt at pulling the ladder over the wall failed.
Once outside the prison wall, they split up into twos and were taken to
safe houses. They were moved to different safe houses before being taken
to an IRA training camp at
Ducket's Grove
in Carlow where they remained until the Treaty was signed. While ”on the
run” the escapees were visited by one of their rescuers, a man named
Burke who on some pretext or other wanted them to get together, not for
old times’ sake as one might expect but to have all of them arrested and
collect the reward posted for their capture. Michael Collins, through
his network of implants within the British establishment, found out what
Burke was up to. According to Kearn’s account Burke was put aboard a
ship and warned never to return to Ireland.
Treaty and the Treaty War (Civil War)
Kearns opposed terms of the Treaty as did most of the women of Cumann na
mBan (CnamB) and the Citizen Army. It was not an easy decision for
Kearns, who had known and worked with Collins who became the face of the
pro-Treaty faction of Sinn Fein. Nonetheless, she stood on principle by
continuing to support the Irish Republic that her friend Thomas
MacDonagh and his fellow martyrs died for.
At
the onset of the Treaty War in June of 1922, Kearns was stopped by Free
State soldiers from entering the Four Courts garrison occupied by Rory Ó
Connor and two hundred anti-Treaty (Republican) combatants.
On June 28, 1922, the
garrison was bombarded on orders from Michael Collins. After two and a
half days of bombardment and fighting, the badly damaged and burning
garrison surrendered.
After the Four Courts garrison fell, the fighting continued for another
week in the streets of Dublin. During that week Kearns roamed the
streets tending to the wounded. As the main force of outnumbered and
outgunned anti-Treaty forces, including thirty or so women combatants
and nurses were forced back,
Cathal Brugha launched a
rearguard action to allow the main force to escape into the
countryside. With all escape routes blocked off, Brugha and his
rearguard contingent retreated to their headquarters in the
Hammam Hotel where they held on for a few days longer. With the building
being bombarded and on fire, Brugha ordered the remaining men and women
to surrender. Brugha himself refused to do so. Amongst the last to leave
were Kathleen Barry, Muriel MacSwiney, and Kearns.
Kearns remained with
Brugha until they had no option but to leave the building as it was
being consumed by fire.
The following is how Kearns described how it ended,
I
had a conversation with Cathal about two hours before the end. I asked
him was he acting wisely in going to his death. ''We have too many
unnecessary deaths already" I said. He replied: "Civil war is so serious
that my death may bring its seriousness home to the Irish people. I feel
that if it put a stop to the Civil War, it would be a death worthwhile".
At that time, we were alone, and the place was burning all round us. It
was the most poignant moment of my life. We kept moving back from the
smoke until we reached the back door. We went out into the lane. Cathal
had a revolver in each hand, and he kept on shouting "No surrender". He
was shot in the hip; the femoral artery being severed. I was beside him
but was not hit. To give the Free Staters their due, I don't think they
wanted to kill him and aimed low. But as he was a small man, he was
struck higher than they expected and in a vital part.
The ambulance came at once and took him to the Mater. He lived for two
days. I blamed the hospital for not getting more speedy aid, as he had
not lost much blood up to his arrival there. I had kept my fingers on
the artery, which stopped the flow of blood. He was not taken to the
theatre until an hour after his arrival and it was another hour before
the doctor arrived. I stood by him for an hour and then I collapsed and
fainted and the same ambulance that took Cathal to the Mater brought me
back to my home. Meanwhile his life blood had been flowing away and when
the doctors attended to him it was too late to save him. He lived for
two days.
After Cathal’s death I went out to Brittas where the fighting was going
on and brought Harry Boland into the funeral. When it was over, I drove
him part of' the way to Skerries. He was picked up on the road and
brought the rest of the way by someone else. He was shot that night in
his bed by the Free Staters.
In 1922, Kearns together with
Muriel MacSwiney and other women volunteers, posing as a Red Cross
delegation broke Annie
M. P. Smithson
free
from Mullingar Prison.
United States and Australia fundraising tours
In
September of 1922, after the Irish Republican Soldiers and Prisoners
Dependent’s Fund (IRSPDF) was launched in New York, a number of
organizations including the
American Association for
the Recognition of the Irish Republic
(AARIR), the Philadelphia faction of Clan na Gael (CnaG) and
other Irish American organizations sponsored an information and
fundraising tour of the United States for Kearns and Muriel MacSwiney.
From the onset their tour was undermined by the Friends of Irish Freedom
(FOIF), the
John Devoy
faction of Clan na Geal and the Catholic Church's hierarchy who
supported proponents of the Treaty. Nonetheless, their tour that started
in New Your hit all the major cities up and down the east coast. In
November, while picketing the British Embassy in Washington, they were
arrested for carrying signs that allegedly were insulting to the British
ambassador. The charges were summarily dismissed.
When MacSwiney was recalled to Ireland in November of 1922 by deValera,
Hanna Sheehy Skeffington
and Kathleen Boland replaced MacSwiney. After that they continued west
to California and south to Texas and Louisiana stopping off at dozens of
venues enroute including Butte in Montana where they met Irish coal
miners. By the time the tour ended in May of 1923, they had
crisscrossed the country addressing large crowds, garnering lots of
publicity in the mid and western states outside the reach of the FOIF
and CnaG. Despite having to contend with Free State surrogates, they
collected $123,000
equivalent in purchasing power to approximately
$2.1 million
today.
In
September of 1924, Kearns embarked on another fundraising tour to
Australia with Kathleen Barry on behalf of the Reconstruction Committee
of the Irish Republican Prisoners Dependant's Fund (IRPDF) to raise
money for the released Republican prisoners of war.
Having done their
homework, Kearns and Barry avoided the political minefield that led to
the deportation of
Fr. Michael O'Flanagan
and
John J. Kelly
the previous year. They cast themselves as patriotic women concerned for
the welfare of the released prisoners and their dependents.
By doing so, they were able to navigate and negotiate their way through
the political and ecclesiastical minefields and raise a substantial
amount of money. Forsaking their political credentials and inclinations
as diehard Republican activists was difficult, but as disciplined
professionals they followed the script and returned home in April of
1925, having accomplished their mission.
Later Years
After completing her Australian tour, Kearns returned to nursing. In
1926, she was one of five women elected to the executive of Fianna Fail.
She was active in organizing and promoting the party in Sligo. Her
loyalty to the party did not prevent her from objecting to deValera’s
latent misogyny as laid bare in the Conditions of Employment Bill (1935)
and Article 41 of the 1937 constitution. She was a proponent of women's
rights, and as such was appointed to the National Women's Council's
standing committee on legislation affecting women. She was a founding
member of the Women's Industrial Development Association. She served in
the second Senate in 1938.
In
September of 1929, Kearns married Wilson Charles MacWhinney, a former
Republican from Derry with whom she had one daughter. Their marriage
only lasted a short time.
Kearns remained devoted to nursing throughout her life. She received
several international awards on behalf of nursing organizations and in
May 1951 was awarded the Florence Nightingale medal from the
International Committee of the Red Cross for “services to humanity”. As
honorary secretary of the Irish Nurses Association she campaigned for
funding to set up a rest and holiday home for nurses. After being
awarded a government grant, she opened a retirement home for nurses,
Kilrock House in Howth in 1945.
Linda Kearns MacWhinney succumbed to lung cancer on June 5, 1951, at the
nursing home she founded. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin
Contributed by Tomás Ó Coısdealbha
cemetery
Name:
Glasnevin Cemetery
ADDRESS: Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, Ireland
Republican Plot
Photo of Linda Kearns headstone or grave marker would be appreciated.
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