‘Alice Milligan, Friend of All Ireland’

“Alice Milligan, Friend of All Ireland” – Signatory of the 1916 Proclamation, Thomas McDonagh speaking about Alice Milligan.

Barra Mac An Fhaili

Every year, at Easter Sunday republicans gather at numerous sacred locations throughout the island of Ireland to remember those who died in the freedom struggle and re dedicate themselves to achieving the objective for which Republican Martyrs gave theirs lives.

One such sacred place is the graveside of Alice Milligan, in Drumragh Graveyard, just outside of Omagh. Her graveside is the location of a wreath laying ceremony for all republican dead in the graveyard on Easter Sunday morning every year.

But who was Alice Milligan, why has her role in the freedom struggle gone largely unnoticed outside republican circles? How did this woman, who was born into a wealthy Methodist family, become one of the most important figures of the Irish literacy and language revival of the late 1800’s and 1900’s?

In order to try and address some of these issues we must look at the live and times of Alice Milligan.

Alice Milligan was born in Omagh, the county town of Tyrone in 1866. Her family were wealthy and came from a Methodist background.

In 1888 Alice attended university to pursue academic studies in Irish in Dublin. Whilst in Dublin Alice began to develop, politically and attended one of Parnell’s last rallies. Her family were in no way republicans but Alice’s interest in republicanism began whilst living as a student in Dublin. Shortly after her return from college the Milligan family moved to Belfast.

Continuing to pursue republicanism in Belfast Alice became involved in various clubs and societies and through these got to know numerous republican figures included Bulmer Hobson and Rodger Casement, who was later to be captured by the British forces at Banna Strand in 1916.

Alice joined the Henry Joy McCracken Literacy Society whilst in Belfast and it was there that she met other political and cultural activists including Anna Johnston. Johnston was better known as her pseudonym, ‘Ethna Carbery’ which she used when writing poetry. Unlike Johnston, whose family had a history of republican resistance Milligan’s family had no previous involvement with republican politics.

Alongside Johnston Milligan set up the Magazines, the Northern Patriot and later the Shan Van Vocht, which was first published in 1896. The SSV was a monthly publication and included Poetry, fiction, travel, historical events and personalities as well as highlighting commemorative events regarding the 1798 rising. It also stressed the importance and gave a lot of coverage to Irish cultural expressions. Including the Gaelic games and the Irish language.

Alice Milligan became the first editor of the Shan Van Vocht whilst Johnston was her secretary, later to become joint editor in 1898. The Shan Van Vocht, with Milligan at the helm espoused separatist and republican ideals.

Many historical figures including James Connolly and Arthur Griffith were regular contributors to the SVV. Indeed it was a widely read and distributed magazine having readers in England, South Africa and America, furthermore in 1897 Milligan had secured an agent to sell the magazine in New York.

At this time Milligan had also become a leading activist in the Gaelic league. She travelled the length and breadth of Ireland giving lectures on Irish history, Irish culture and republicanism. This work brought her into contact with people like Maud Gonne, Padraig Pearse and Michael Davitt.

The Easter rising and subsequent civil war had a deep and profound impact on Alice, like many republicans throughout the island of Ireland. In a poem written at the time of the civil war Alice Milligan wrote

“And in these days of blood and tears
The words re-echo in my ears
As many a comrade yields his life
To former friend in desperate strife.”

Weakened emotionally and mentally by the fall out over the treaty and the Civil war Alice Milligan faded from, public life. She returned to her native home in Tyrone and devoted her time to caring for members of her family who were sick.

In quite contrast to her upbringing Alice died in poverty close to her birthplace in Omagh in 1953. Today her remains lay in Omaghs Drumragh Graveyard, just outside the Co. Tyrone Town.

So why do I include Alice Milligan as one of the most inspiring women in republican politics throughout the past hundreds of years?

In my opinion Alice was one of the most vivacious of the politically aware Irish women of a hundred years ago.

Furthermore Alice was involved in the Irish Freedom Movement at a time when the British Empire was at the height of its power. Also at a time when women were very much treated different to men. Even in 1916 women were turned away from Bolands Mill, even though a main theme of republicanism was egalitarianism.

However for Alice Milligan and indeed Anna Johnston to become the editors of such a magazine as the Shan van Vocht was something which would be unparalleled. In addition to this to take a leading role in the Gaelic League and Literacy Movement as clearly showed she was a Revolutionary woman of her time.

However with this said it is clear that the voice of women was present through this period, though not always heard. With people like Maud Gonne, Countess Markievicz and Mary McSwiney it is clear the women provided an important role to the struggle at that time. For instance it was women who set up the prisoner’s dependant fund in the aftermath of the rising, it was women who were to the fore in the campaign for the release of political prisoners and it was the organised women of Cumann na mBan who rejected overwhelmingly the treaty following treaty negotiations.

Alice Milligan was one of those women who made sure their voices were heard and led from the front, as a model to those who followed.

Although her goal of a 32 county republic in Ireland has yet to be achieved her memory continues to inspire other generations of Irish republicans to complete the work done by their people like Alice Milligan.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam uasal