197
Important Irish Art
,
wednesday 1st October 2014 at 6pm
While avoiding the sniping on Baggot Street Bridge Estella met a kindred spirit, Kathleen Goodfellow (Lot 197 and 214) and
together they enlisted in Cumann na mBan, the auxiliary branch of women volunteers. By 1918 every working-class women was a
member of Cumann na mBan so powerful the organisation developed, and the fastidious Countess Markievicz was at their head.
Phyllis Ryan to be Seán T. O’Kelly’s future wife drilled the unit that Estella was attached. After training when most members were
sent down the country Estella stayed and gave her support in Dublin.
A period of uncertainty reigned. Ireland was experiencing the duplicity of Lloyd George and his colleagues, and their prevarication;
and houses were subjected to close searches for arms. Estella surprised her parents by taking an inordinate interest in gardening
and she raised superb heads of lettuce for family consumption. Beneath the lettuce heads were concealed supplies of ammunition
for Sinn Féin volunteers and she would deliver these to an agent, whom she called “The butterman” in Baggot Street. He taught
her how to fire a revolver which they practised in his backyard. “The Butterman” was later arrested but not for his revolutionary
activities but for his habit of watering the milk.This portrait of his wife, a good natured, benevolent plump woman, hung in Estella’s
Studio until her death.
This note is an edited section from “Portraits of Patriots” by Hilary Pyle 1966.
Lot 211
