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The History Sale 2015
www.adams.ie677
JOHN MACBRIDE & ‘THE KNIGHTS OF TARA’.
A very good A.L.S. from (Major) John MacBride to ‘Tom’ (almost certainly
Tom Clarke), from 3507 23rd St., 15th June (no year given), 4 pp (single
folded sheet), mentioning various friends, mostly Republican activists. ‘Miss
G[onne] got a bad cold on her return to Paris, otherwise she is A-1. Her
sister is rather ill though .. Have not met any of the Knights of Tara men as
yet. The Red Branch Knights are giving me a banquet on Wed. evg. & the
meeting takes place on Sat. I am to speak in Vallejo (?) on the following
Sat. 29th, and then probably go East. Any word from Bute? .. I see by the
papers that Davitt is bent on coming out & going to start a new campaign.
My old friend Miss Johnston is engaged to be married to MacManus -- I
feel so sorry as we were great friends ..’
With a good signature, John MacBride.
Major John MacBride, born in Westport, Co. Mayo in 1865, married Maud
Gonne in 1903, hence this letter must be before that date. Although a long-
standing member of the IRB, he was not involved in planning the Easter
Rising, but nevertheless found his way into the Rising with his old friend Tom
Clarke. He was not a Volunteer commander or a signatory, but his Transvaal
record made it inevitable that the British would take their chance to execute
him, as they did on 5 May 1916.
‘Miss Johnston’ is Anna, the poet ‘Ethna Carbery’, who married the writer
Seumas MacManus - see other lots in this sale.
A splendid letter, which gives a good impression of MacBride’s dashing if
rather scatterbrained character. Minor marks of adhesion, probably in a
scrapbook, portrait attached, otherwise clean.
€800 - €1,200
678
‘’THE MAJOR’S SAM BROWN’’
Major John Mac Bride, his Sam Brown Belt with brass hooks, pins and
buckles, with shoulder strap and link. good.
Provenance: Purchased in these rooms, “Independence” auction, lot 561,
19th April 2011. This Sam Brown was left along with his pistol, which was
being repaired at Lamberts, hatch Street, Dublin prior to Easter Week 1916,
by Major Mac Bride, due to his subsequent arrested and death penalty, these
items were not returned, hence by descent to the present owner. N.B. See lot
529, April 20th, 2010 (Independence)
€300 - €500
Lot 677
Lot 678