A painting has been unveiled in the Seanad remembering a woman who had been largely airbrushed from Irish history, but who had been at the centre of one of the most pivotal moments during the 1916 rising.
Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell stood alongside Pádraig Pearse as he surrendered.
He had chosen Elizabeth O'Farrell to carry his message seeking to open negotiations for the cessation of hostilities at the end of Easter Week.
A picture had been taken as they stood side by side during that surrender to Brigadier General William Lowe.
However, from the angle it was captured at, with the exception of her boots, O'Farrell can barely be seen. In subsequent copies Ms O'Farrell is completely airbrushed from the photo.
"She is remembered for being forgotten"
— RTÉ Politics (@rtepolitics) March 8, 2021
Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell stood beside Pádraig Pearse as he surrendered in 1916. However, she was airbrushed from photos
Today, "Her Surrender", a painting imagining the moment from a different angle, was unveiled in the Seanad @rtenews pic.twitter.com/o8N5oCZpDV
'Her Surrender' was painted by Co Leitrim artist, Sinéad Guckian. The painting reimagines the moment from a different angle.
Quoting Ms Guckian, Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Senator Mark Daly, told the Upper House that Elizabeth O'Farrell is "remembered for being forgotten".
He expressed hope that the actions today "rectifies in a very small way that historic wrong to Elizabeth O'Farrell".
The painting was unveiled in the chamber by Seanad leader, Regina Doherty, to mark International Women's Day.
Senator Doherty thanked Sinéad Guckian, telling the Seand that she believed Ms Guckian had "done an absolutely beautiful job".
Ms Doherty said that the task now is to "find a very fitting and suitable place to hang it in the halls of the Oireachtas".
Mark Daly reminded the House that Ms Doherty is its third female leader in the Seanad's 99-year history.
