MAIRIN CREGAN James G. Ryan Mairin Cregan was a Killorglin woman whose interesting life included republican activism, and a successful career as a writer of children's books who "was a writer of exceptional talent who enjoyed success in her lifetime but has been all but forgotten".1 She was bom Mary Cregan J^ I in Killorglin on March ' 27, 1891, the second of four daughters of Morgan Cregan (a stone-mason originally from Newcastle West, County Limerick) and Ellen O'Shea. She was a child of the Gaelic Jim Ryan and Mairin Cregan. Revival An interest in the Irish language and heritage was encouraged by her mother, Ellen who "talked a good deal about Douglas Hyde and the language movement". It was also encouraged by her teacher "Una Nic Coluim, a sister of Fionain Mac Coluim, a muinteor taisteal for Connradh na Gaeilge" (who) "definitely influenced my young mind towards the language and Irish history". Local support in learning to speak Irish (with the encouragement of her mother) included an un-named shopkeeper in Killorglin, and Patrick Begley from Ballykissane. Her interest in the Irish language continued throughout her life and her memoir of her involvement in republican activities 2 has many references to time spent learning the language, which she eventually mastered. In later life, conversations with her grandchildren always began in Irish.
as her first active association with the republican movement. These concerts were "one of the chief ways of raising money for arms". Her last appearance was at a "Grand Concert" for the 1st Battalion, Dublin Regiment of the Irish Volunteers on April 9, 1916, just two weeks before the Rising. At this stage she was very actively involved in the republican movement and in the days before Easter week she was sent by Sean McDermott to Tralee with "automatics and ammunition" for delivery to the local volunteers. Her local contact was Fr. Joe Breen, then CC in Tralee. He put her in contact with Austin Stack and Paddy Cahill at the Skating Rink, where they were preparing munitions. There she handed over "a violin case full of automatics and ammunition" together with some letters from Sean McDermott. Although she was not aware of the contents, these letters were instructions for the erection of a wireless apparatus to get in contact with the Aud, the arms-ship carrying Roger Casement. She spent that night in the house of Pearle Veale. This account is validated by Paddy Cahill in a letter attached to her submission to the Bureau of Military History in 1950. The next day, while home in Killorglin, she heard about an incident in which a car carrying four Irish Volunteers, on their way to meet the Aud, had lost its way and gone over the quay in Ballykissane. Three of the occupants were drowned. Mairin was involved in helping the sole survivor Tommy Mclnerney. She later published an account of this incident.4
She was also a gifted singer and performed widely in Kerry as a young girl. A 1903 news cutting records "little Miss Cregan" displaying a "brilliant performance" of singing and dancing at a Gaelic League concert in the Round Room of the Rotunda, Dublin.
Returning to Dublin proved difficult as trains were not running due to the Rising. When she eventually did get back, it was to find that most of her group of friends had been imprisoned. These included Jim Ryan (who was later to become her husband) and two of his sisters. One of the results of her activities was that she was dismissed from her post in St. Louis Rathmines because some of the parents protested "against their children being taught by a friend of these rebels and herself strongly suspected of having been mixed up in it". She found a new teaching position in Bally shannon and later (Sept 1917) in the Dominican High School in Portstewart, where she remained until she was married in July 1919.
Following Primary school in Killorglin, she attended boarding school at St. Louis Convent in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, which had a strong musical tradition. On leaving school, she became a teacher. As was usual at the time, she received no formal training for this role, beyond the equivalent of the Leaving Certificate (called senior Grade at the time). Better students were simply recommended as suitable. From 19II3 until 1914 she was a teacher in the Brigidine School in Goresbridge, County Kilkenny. There she met a life-long friend Margaret Browne, who was later to marry Sean McEntee. Her musical interests remained and in September 1914 she went to Dublin to study music with Madame Coslett Heller at the Leinster School of Music. While there, she recalls, "I tried to pay my way by teaching in St. Louis High School in Rathmines".3 Mairin's interest in Gaelic heritage also continued. She became part of a group of Gaelic League and Sinn Fein enthusiasts, who met in the home of Kit Ryan (who was later to marry Sean T. O'Kelly). Kit was a sister of James Ryan, then a medical student and also a republican activist, whom Mairin would later marry. This group included a mix of cultural and republican enthusiasts such as Sean McDermott, Padraig O'Conaire, Fr. Paddy Browne (later President of National University of Ireland, Galway). Through her associations with these individuals, she was "requisitioned for singing at Volunteer Concerts", which she notes
During the 1916 Rising her husband, Dr. Jim Ryan had been the medical officer in the General Post Office and attended Pearse, Connolly and others. His account of the Rising has been published.5 He was imprisoned on several occasions for his republican activities but had remained an active volunteer. In 1918 he was elected as Sinn Fein MP for South Wexford. The family home was in Tomcoole, near Taghmon. Several members of the family (as noted above) were actively involved in republican activities. He graduated in Medicine; by 1919 he was a General Practitioner in Wexford town, where Mairin went to live following their marriage. Their house was regularly raided by the British Army in pursuit of her husband. Her first son Eoin Ryan (later Senator and prominent Fianna Fail politician) was born in June 1920. While living in Wexford she joined Cumann na mBan and was again involved in local republican activities. In February 1921, following an ambush of a British Army convoy outside Wexford, six prominent Republicans were ordered to display copies of a proclamation of Martial Law in the windows of their houses. Mairin refused to comply and as a result she was imprisoned, brought before a court-martial and fined ÂŁ50 for "refusal to exhibit a Martial Law Proclamation". When released with seven days to pay the fine, she decided (in consultation with her husband who was imprisoned in Kilworth at the time) to sell their
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