The New York herald., 1920-12-06
MACSWINEY'S
ROMANCE TOLD BY
SISTER OF MAYOR
Welded in 1917 While He
Was Ticket of Leave Pris-
oner in England.
CEREMONY IN GAELIC
Widow Prefers Baby ard
Home to Leading Life OF
Active Agitator.
CONFERS WITH VALERA
After Mass in st. Patrick's She
Talks OH Ireland's Aims,
Hopes and Wrongs.
CEREMONY IN GAELIC
CONFERS WITH VALERA

speak for publication of conditions IN
Ireland until she testifies in Washington
later in the week. Mrs. Muriel Mac
Swiney, widow of Terence MacSwiney.
Lord Mayor OF Cork, ventured yesterday
to express to reporters some optimistic
views for the cause Of Irish independence
and to say that only absolute freedom
could end the warfare being waged in
Ireland.
This was Mrs AIacSwiney's first for
NAL interview since her arrival here
Saturday. ana was given in the st.
Regis Hotel Although she appeared In
the light of an Irish Republican through
out this interview. she did not pose as
an agitator She quietly told of her
home and her baby. and said these two
things had kept her so thoroughly oc-
cupied that she never had time TO
make speeches for ''the cause" or write
about it as many other Irish women
have done Furthermore. she said. she
had no intention of either writing or
making speeches now.
Mrs. MacSwiney attended high mass
In ST. Patrick's Cathedral. When she
arrived there scores of policemen were
about thesedifice handling crowds which
blocked the streets and tried 10 catch a
glimpse of the woman whose husband
died as the result of hunger strike Of
worldwide interest.
With the other members of ner party,
which included her sister-in-law, Miss
Mary MacSwiney Frank p. Walsh and
Harry Boland, secretary to De Valera,
Mrs. MacSwiney was escorted to front
pew by Joseph Boyle, the sacristan. The
Rev. William B. Martin was celebrant
of the mass and the Rev. Charles Lyon
s. j.. preached an Advent sermon of
purely doctrinal character. At the end
of the services the sacristan escorted the
party to the rectory, where Mrs. Mac
Swiney was received by the Right Rev.
Michael j. Lavelle. rector OF the Cathe-
dral, and was introduced TO number
Of the priests.
After this Mrs. MacSwiney had lunch
con at the Wolcott Hotel as the guest
of Mr.. and, Mrs. Frank p. Walsh. and
from there went to see Mr. De Valera,
Her party remained in his suite until
$3.50 o'clock. when they returned to the
St. Regis.
Mrs. MacSwiney's talk with the res
borters was preceded by an Interview
with her sister-in-law, Miss Mary Mac
Swney, which dealt largely with the de-
tails of the romance of Terence and
Muriel MacSwiney. and OF the wifes
conversion to the cause OF Irish inde-
pendencc.
From this story IT appeared that the
late Lord Mayor and his wife had grown
ZIP in radically different environments.
She came from a family of distillers by
the name of Murphy who took no inter-
est whatever in the movement for Irish
v~1,f Ia be af1,e Of fuf f,1flt
which, according TO his sister. was bound
by tradition and everything else to "the
cause"
They met in 1914 in the house of a
priest who was sympathetic with the
movement for Irish freedom. and then
Muriel Murphy, who was then only 22
years old heard Cor she first time an ex-
tensive discourse upon the subject. After
that she met Terence MacSwiney and his
sister Mary occasionally and became
more and more Interested in the Sim
Fein movement, to The intense dspleas-
ure Of her family.
In 1916, when Terence MacSwiney was
confined in Wakefield prison in England.
Muriel Murphy visited him in the course
of a trip she was making for the osten-
sible purpose Of investigating conditions
In English prisons.
Again, when he was rearrested and in
terned at Bromyard in Worcester she
1ourneyed TO England to visit him, but.
nccording TO Miss MacSwiney. the milf
tary authorities refused to give informa-
tion to her as to his whereabouts By
persistent effort she found him and their
families then learned by mail of their
engagement. At Bromyard the British
authorities permitted MacSwiney his lib
crfy upon condition that he should not
80 more than ten miles away from the
place, and on June O. 1917. while he was
fTr
pair were married
The ceremony was performed In Gaelic
by priest who had been taken to the
place by Terence M9cSwiney's relatives.
and. according to Miss MacSwiney. II
was the FIRST Roman Catholic marriage
ceremony performed In the locality since
the days OF the Reformation
Mrs. MacSwiney was asked by the re-
portcrs how her family now felt toward
ner. She said that despite their diff
rerences OF opinion on political matters
she never had been on unfriendIv terms
with them. ana that her daughter. who
IS 215 years old. is with her mother in
Cork Her father is not living and tho
distillery has descended to her two
prothers. one OF these brothers served
In the British army during the war.
One Of her sisters is married Two re-
naming sisters are IN convent
Asked what she had done 20 aid the
cause OF Irish independence besides sup
porting her husband IN his defiance OF
The British Government. Mrs. Mac
swiney seemed unable 10 understand.
What do YOU mean?" she asked
We'll, have you ever delivered
spoeches?" her questioner asked
NO" she replied. you see, I have
had the baby to take care OF. / have
done that without any outside help. and
guess you know that that takes about
all woman's time But Terence and
always talked Gaelic in our home. we
wouldn't teach the baby any English.
but since she has been with my mother
she has picked up few English words .
Mrs. MacSwincy said that she had
met Mr.. de Valera IN Ireland. She spoke
OF her last stay IN Cork THE second
night ] was there the Black and Tana
threw n bomb and killed four OF our
men. One man that / knew had both
OF his legs blown off. The conditions
are terrible but the people are attend
ing to their daily business wherever II
is possible 70 do so. believe chat
what they say about the Black and Tans