COURAGE
Grace Gifford — The Revolutionary who Inspired an Irish Ballad
She married a condemned man seven hours before he faced the firing squad
I once had a friend with a strange hobby. He looked up the historical figures who died the year he was born. He’d study them- listen to their music, read their books and watch their TV shows or movies.
The practice grounded him in place and time, he said. It made him realize how much both factors defined his existence. It also shows how the past bleeds into the present.
Emmett Till died the year my friend was born. So did Einstein.
With Saint Patrick’s Day on the horizon, I decided to learn about Grace Gifford. The Irish artist and political cartoonist died in 1955, the year of my birth.
She’s mainly remembered through a ballad that tells the story of her marriage. There are also a couple of portraits by her art teacher, William Orpen.
At 16, Gifford attended art school in Dublin. Orpen considered her one of his most gifted students. She specialized in caricature. Luckily, she also left some artifacts.
“Grace”
Frank and Sean O’Meara wrote “Grace” in 1985, 30 years after Gifford’s death. Listen to…
