Easter Widows

by Sinead McCoole

One week in May 1916, seven Irish women became widows. When they had married their husbands they had embarked on very different lives. They married men of the establishment; one married a lecturer, two others married soldiers, another a civil servant. These women all knew each other and their lives became intertwined.For the seven women whose stories are told in Easter Widows , their husbands’ interest in Irish culture, citizenship and rights became a fight for independence which at Easter 1916 took the form of military action against the British. These men were among the leaders who formed a provisional government of the Irish Republic and issued a proclamation of Irish Independence.But the Rising was defeated, and the leaders were arrested and hastily executed. Some of the widows broke under the strain of their experiences and this story tells of miscarriage and tragedy. Yet for another of the women, the execution of her husband allowed her to return from self-imposed exile, freed from the fear that her son would be taken from her by her estranged husband.This is also a story of women of power and success – some of the widows emerged from the shadows to become leaders themselves. It is a human story told against the backdrop of the years of conflict in Ireland 1916-1923 - the Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War.Easter Widows introduces all the characters separately through the romances of these seven women – Lillie, Maud, Kathleen, Aine, Agnes, Grace, Muriel – before bringing their stories together in a cohesive narrative. These interlinking stories are clearly embedded in an authentic historical account.

Genres: Irish Literature, Nonfiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2014

Reviews

[Lianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.. Eyes wide open about history of women in pre, during and post Easter rising. They deserved recognition!!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was meant to be dipping in and out of this book as I was reading another for a challenge but I just could not put it down!! A brilliant read for anyone who is interested in Ireland's struggle for freedom. It's title may be Easter Widows but it is so much more. The stories of the seven women and the men they loved who died for their cause is excellent but it also tells the story of the rising, the outcome, then goes on to the Civil War in Ireland and the aftermath. It's absolutely packed with history and is a must for anyone who loves history but finds it hard to read the large dry tomes that historians, ( no offence), write.
I've always been interested in this part of history in an almost casual way but having read this book it makes me feel proud that I had family who were involved in a lot of historical events from The Rising, WW1, the Irish Civil War and right through to WW2.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this emotional, yet well researched book on the seven Widows of the Easter Rising I am left feeling both angry and admiring. Angry at how they were treated over the years and particularly how they have been sidelined by those who remained behind or survived. Admiring of their collective strength of character and sheer determination to honour the Republic their husbands had been executed for.
It is a necessary read for all those with any interest in 1916, in this its centenary year. Well researched with many references and details with particular reference to the women of the revolution - yet it does not shy away from the emotional damage done to all those mentioned. Recommended to all but a warning asnit leftvthis reader with a sense of disillusionment with Irish politics as a result.

[Shannon Haire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal and heartbreaking. The women come to life in a whole new way and their stories are told in a gripping way that makes you want to keep reading, even as their tragedy overwhelms you.
Once I had thought I might want to write a book specifically on this subject, and I am glad she beat me to it. Sinead McCoole is a master storyteller and she has done these ladies right and kept their tragic but indomitable spirits alive.
Have a lot of tissue handy and don't count on much sleep once you start this book.

[Regina Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book telling the story of the 1916 leaders and their wife's and family life. It's a really interesting read with details on each of the couples courtship and the times leading up to the Easter rising and its aftermath.
A wonderful read and would encourage further reading especially Kathleen Clarke and Lilly Connolly.

[Cáit Verling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It gave new and intimate insights into the lives of the widows left behind in 1916. The overall feeling I was left with was what hard lives they had- their husbands died for freedom, but they had to live the life for them afterwards, most of them in poverty. I learned how many of them were also Involved in the fight for irish freedom, something which has not been acknowledged in most books about the period. The last paragraph of the authors note at the back was the most poignant of the book, and for me summed up the sacrifice not only of the men but of their wives and children also.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase Easter Widows here for just $10!

If you have an interest in Irish history, this is a great book exploring the women behind the men who formed modern Ireland. If you read one book on the 1916 rising make it this one.

Alicia - The Book Grocer

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative....but I expected a little more analysis
McCoole did what she knows best....reveals the facts.