Terence & Mary MacSwiney ALS from Terry to his sister Min (Mary), 4 pp (single folded sheet), written from Lincoln Prison, 18 Jan. 1919, on prison notepaper, with censor's initials; and two ALS...

Terence & Mary MacSwiney ALS from Terry to his sister Min (Mary), 4 pp (single folded sheet), written from Lincoln Prison, 18 Jan. 1919, on prison notepaper, with censor's initials; and two ALS from Mary to Terence in Lincoln Jail, 24 Jan. and 24 Feb. 1919, one with associated envelope. Terry's letter is mostly about his wife Muriel's need for 'a change' (i.e. a holiday). 'I know she needs a change & I want every possible effort made to get it for her. One thing I am quite certain of, she must have Máire with her. If it were possible to have Maire looked after properly in Cork - still it would be bad for Muriel to be parted from her .. In my letter to Muriel on Thursday I told her that she needn't bother writing to me - that you & Nan would be glad to send me a line when necessary. I know that in her present anxiety writing is a great strain ..' Also asks for £5 to be sent to him, 'I need it without delay as the weekly wants we have in common here require some cash in hand'; and asks for 2 dozen eggs for his fellow prisoner Sean Etchingham. 'He is so weak he can't get up at all. He doesn't get the nourishment he needs here & that makes matters worse .. You'd imagine they'd have the humanity to give him such things here but there's no use talking about that. We must keep the life in him ourselves as best we can ..' An unusual letter, the only one in the collection where Terry (an eternal optimist) shows any sign of strain. Mary McSwiney's first letter, which may have crossed with Terry's, is much cooler in tone. She mentions that Sean Etchingham has been released, and says Muriel and Maire are coming to stay with her; she does not know whether Muriel has taken any further steps in the direction of a change. 'She ought not take Maire anywhere without a trained nurse, even if a suitable place could be found. I understand your anxiety that she should take Maire with her to the country, but she is not strong enough to manage everything without a nurse ..' Her second letter mentions widespread closures of schools and businesses in Cork because of 'this wretched scourge' (the influenza epidemic which killed tens of thousands throughout Europe at the end of World War I); by this time Muriel and Máire are staying with her. An interesting group of letters, illustrating Terry's concern about his wife's health and the evident tension between her and his sisters. Provenance: Cronin collection

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