Margaret Skinnider was a woman like no other, and I take every opportunity that I can to write about her. She is one of my biggest heroes – not just because she was a warrior and an intellectual but also because she was humble and quick. Without her contributions, many aspects of the Easter Rising may never have come to fruition but because she was not born in Ireland and she was a woman, it has been very hard to find anyone who gives her the full recognition she deserves in the history of the Rising.

It is a terrible injustice. Margaret Skinnider was nearly killed in action during Easter week, but she was denied a pension repeatedly for nearly 20 years – on the sole basis that she was a woman. Luckily, she was also incredibly persistent and eventually she succeeded in her requests to be compensated for the lifelong effects of her injuries. She was a brilliant strategist, mathematician and author, a teacher, mentor and agitator, a devoted soldier of Ireland and a truly passionate lady. For that, and much more, she is a great inspiration to me.

With this in mind I share this video segment dedicated to her. It is nice to know that I am not alone in my admiration of her and that other, much more prominent voices are calling for her to receive more recognition and praise. The more the merrier I say…even if we are all a little late to this party.