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Fig. 29.“Grace Gifford” by Sir William Orpen
Grace Gifford (1888 - 1955)
Grace Gifford, grand-niece of the painter Sir Frederick Burton , was born in Dublin into a legal family.
She was a pupil of Orpen’s at the Metropolitan School of Art and he painted several portraits of her
(See Irish Arts ReviewVol 31 No. 2 P114). She excelled at drawing and was later to study at The Slade in
London 1907 - 08.
On returning to Dublin she met Thomas McDonagh , who was to later marry her sister Muriel ,and
Patrick Pearse and joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann along with Maud Gonne. She did illustrations for various
newspapers and journals and produced artwork for the militant suffrage organisation, the IrishWom-
en’s Franchise league. In December 1915 she became engaged to the editor of the Irish Review Joseph
Plunkett soon after which she converted to catholicism.They were scheduled to get married on Easter
Sunday 1916 but the rising prevented this and they got married in Kilmainham Jail on 4th May hours
before his execution. Her financial situation was always precarious.
She was appointed to the Sinn Fein executive in October 1917 and used her skills as an artist to aid
the nationalist cause producing banners and posters. She was anti-treaty and was imprisoned on several
occassions. She is best remembered for her cartoons which Hilary Pyle described “capturing in pen the
essence of the anecdotal wit and literary bavardage of the Irish Renaissance”.
For further information see
Comedy’s IIl-fated Muse
by Hilary Pyle IARVol 31 No.2 June/August 2014
