dathai
That article is very interesting
My OH's grandmother in her pension application signed her letter "please believe in me"
To me it is poignant when you see that she and her family lived at a different address
when you look at civil records of births, deaths and marriages.
Her correspondence refers to her lifelong membership of Cumann na mBan and that
her husband was not able to pay their rent,
he worked for the GSWR at Kingsbridge (now Heuston) Station due to an accident at work;
no sick pay or state benefits to be had then.
He had served throughout WW1 and after he returned, he trained men who fought during the War of Independence and Civil War.
She gave Dr. Kathleen Lynn among others as her referee and described
unfortunately in very little detail, her role in Red Cross First Aid which include gun running!
Because of her nursing role, she must have seen first hand severe injuries and pain.
We cannot begin to understand how families lived a hundred years ago in small squalid places
with everyone bunking together as well they could, constantly uprooting and moving,
hopeful that they would have the rent at the end of the week, being without sanitation and running water,
cooking facilities at a bare minimum and often just an open fire creating hygiene and safety issues,
and heat not existent.
Sinann your Granny probably held the family together in those hard times while you grandfather had some glory in his actions!
The Pensions Board didn't believe in her and they got no pension.
