110
298 SHEEHYSKEFFINGTON, Francis.
AnOpen Letter toThomasMacDonagh. Reprinted from the ‘IrishCitizen’, 22ndMay 1915. 4 pp. (folded sheet), with
photosof bothmen reproducedon cover.Amost interesting letter, inwhichSkeffington (a convincedpacifist)discuss-
es the use of violence, his view of theVolunteermovement, the position of women in it, etc. Ironically the pacifism of
Skeffingtondidnot prevent his execution, after courtmartial, byCaptainBowenColthurst - an actionwhichwas later
judged to be murder. Very good. Rare. With: Sheehy Skeffington’s Speech from the Dock, with Letter fromGeorge
Bernard Shaw. Eloquent Defence of the Rights of Free Speech. Published by the IrishWorkers’ Co-Operative Society,
LibertyHall, circa1915, 12, ivpp.Pictorialwrapperswithportrait.With:TheProdigalDaughter.AComedy inOneAct.
Reprinted from the IrishCitizen,April1915.With: Speech from theDockon theoccasionofhisTrial.Dublin,published
by the IrishCo-operativeSociety. Illustratedwrappers.With: BritishMilitarismAs IHaveKnown It. ByHannaSheehy
Skeffington. (5)
Francis Skeffington was born at Baileboro, Co. Cavan in 1878. Educated at home and at University College, R.U.I.,
Dublin, where he tookhisM.A. degreewithhonours, winning also various distinctions such as theChancellor’sGold
Medal, whichhe gained for an essay onGrattan.His friends includedThomasKettle, GeorgeClancy, and James Joyce
whoportrayedhimasMcCann in ‘APortrait of theArtist as aYoungMan’.Hewas registrarofUCD from1902 to1904
when he resigned after a public dispute with the President (Fr. Delany) over the rights of women to academic status.
WhenhemarriedHannaSheehy in1903he adoptedhername in addition tohis owndemonstrating thatmarriagewas
nobarrier to equalitybetween the sexes.
Theyworked together onmanymovements such asWomen’s Suffrage and International Peace.
Heworkedon ‘TheNationalDemocrat, The IrishCitizen’ andon a lecture tour of theUSA in 1915hewas entertained
byClannaGael. Although he disapproved of violence, while trying to prevent looting during the Easter Rebellion he
was arrested and after amock trialwas executedbyCaptainBowen-Colthurst. That officerwas subsequently adjudged
guilty of murder but held to be insane. Hanna was active during the Rising carryingmessages to theGPOwhere her
uncle, Fr. Eugene Sheehygave spiritual comfort to the rebels.
Skeffingtonwas jailedunder thenotoriousD.O.R.A. (Defenceof theRealmAct) forholdingapublicmeetingopposing
conscription.Hewas released after a sevendayhunger strike.
€200 - 300
299 ADOUGLASHYDESIGNATURE,
‘asGaeilge’mountedon rectangular cardanddated1938withprinted letter expressing”sincereapprecia-
tionof your kindmessageon theoccasionof his election asPresident of Ireland”
containedwithin a stamped envelope and adressed toMissGertrudeMeagher - Secretary toSupervisor
of Schools,Halifax.
€120 - 150
300 Weckbecker, ProfessorAugust
Original Letters and two sketches relating to commissions in Ireland, dating from 1922-
1924 and referring to his work on a bust and portrait of Pope Pius XI in the Vatican and a
bust of Roger Casement, which was later aquired by the National Gallery of Ireland in 1963.
Together with copied photographs and a copied catalogue of his works. As a collection.
Weckbeckerworked inCo.Carlow for some time, duringwhichheerectedamonumentover thegrave
of theRev.HughCullen (d. 1917) inKilleshin churchyardandalsodesigned theEastwindow, stations
of thecross, a relief of theEntombment , a tabernacle, and twomurals for thechurchatCarlow lunatic
asylum (nowStDympna’sHospital).
€100 - 200
301 [IrishTravel, 1842]An interesting
manuscript Journal
of Expenditure of a journey taken byMessrs. Tyler, Caher andKing from Limavady, Co.
Derry toCork andback, 1842
€100 - 150
