JIM McCANN GRACE

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This poignant ballad written by Frank and Sean O'Meara in 1985,and recorded by Jim McCann in 1986 ,tells the sad story of the wedding of Joseph Plunkett,one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising in Dublin and Grace Gifford his sweetheart,a Protestant who converted to Catholicism, whom he married a few hours before his execution in Kilmainham Prison.The Easter Rising began on the 24th April 1916 and ended seven days later with the surrender of the Irish soldiers.The leaders of the rising were executed by firing squad and their bodies dumped in a mass grave at Arbour Hill.Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford,having been engaged the previous Christmas were due to be married on Easter Sunday 1916 but the rising changed all that. As Joseph was condemned to death,Grace purchased a wedding ring at a jeweller's shop in Dublin City centre and she and Joseph were married in the chapel of Kilmainham Jail in the presence of armed soldiers.Grace died in 1955.This video presentation is for educational purposes and social commentary only. No copyright infringement is intended.