Constance Markievicz

A revised illustrated edition of this landmark 1988 biography of one of the great women of Irish history, and Europe’s first elected female politician.

“Constance Gore-Booth de Markievicz was a socialist, a feminist, a land-reformer, a republican, and a nationalist - all tendencies that, except for the last, came up with the short end of the stick following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922 which, as happens in so many real or supposed revolutions, ensured that the hands on the levers of power changed, but the essential structures of that power remained largely intact. She was also a woman, at a time when even many of her socialist and reformist colleagues had no interest in conceding any real, or certainly visible, leadership role to women. And, finally, she was an aristocrat, an artist, and a free spirit. How Constance combined, confronted, and/or managed to work through, these contradictions and challenges makes for a fascinating story. Haverty tells it well, and also briskly -- as a text both introductory and foundational, this turned out to be an excellent choice. I'm sure more advanced students of Irish history would get even more out of it, even twenty-five or more years after it was first published.” —Andrew S. Rogers, Vine Voice “I have read several biographies of Constance Markievicz. This proves to be the most complete as well as the most enjoyable read. Haverty does an admirable job of tracing Constance's life from her sheltered childhood on the Co. Sligo estate of her Anglo-Irish family, to her years in the Arts Salons of Paris, to her conversion to a revolutionary leading the charge of Irish Republicanism and Labour. The imagery and language of this book will make this a treat for the reader. Informative, well researched, I highly recommend this book.” —Paul J. Ditz

Born in Co. Tipperary in 1959, Anne Haverty now lives in Dublin. Her first novel, One Day as a Tiger, won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 1997. A collection of poetry, The Beauty of the Moon, was published in 1999, followed by the novels The Far Side of a Kiss (2000) and The Free and Easy (2006). Haverty has also worked as a journalist and scriptwriter. She is a member of Aosdána.