User:Mckechnielach/sandbox

Legacy of Molly O'Reilly

After the Easter Rising Molly O' Reilly remained involved in Irish politics in all forms, Molly O'Reilly opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and took the republican side during the Irish Civil War. She was arrested in March 1923 and took part in a hunger-strike by republican prisoners for the release of all political prisoners. The legacy of Molly O’ Reilly and the women who took part in the movement for Irish independence cannot be understated. A direct legacy of Molly O’ Reilly can be seen in the Irish Civil War. The Irish Civil War left many lasting legacies such as leaving great division, crippling an already crippled Irish economy and the militarisation of national movements during this time. However people such as Molly O’ Reilly who resorted to peaceful methods such as hunger striking with success. Showed that there was alternative methods to violence and played great importance in peaceful state building after a decade of violence. One reason that shows us their legacy includes; the symbolic importance. The women who served in the movement have been a benchmark of selfless courage for generations of Irish men and women. Women like Molly O’Reilly laid the foundations for organisations such as Cumann na mBan who played a vital role in Support of the Irish Republican Army and therefore held a direct impact in the outcome of Irish history. In a more symbolic sense women like Molly O’ Reilly have held great inspiration and served as inspiration for subsequent social and political movements.Mary Robinson for example gave praise to Countess Markievicz and women like Molly O’ Reilly for serving as inspiration to her.