How an often forgotten pacifist's murder played a pivotal role in the Easter Rising

THE murder of Frank Sheehy Skeffington in 1916 was a pivotal moment in the events leading up to the Easter Rising. Yet the story of this pacifist, journalist, and ardent campaigner for women’s rights is often overlooked, writes Ellie O’Byrne

Sheehy Skeffington’s life, love, and brutal demise are the subjects of a new TG4 documentary, Sheehy Skeffington: Pacifist, by Dearcán Media, a Derry-based Irish language production company.

Frank Sheehy Skeffington was detained, used as a human shield, and executed without trial by firing squad under the orders of Captain JC Bowen-Colthurst of the Royal Irish Rifles, a native of Dripsey, Co Cork, who was later court-martialled for his actions, pleading insanity.