Catherine Brigid (Kitty) Kiernan (1892 – 24 July 1945) was an Irish woman best known as the fiancée of assassinated Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins.

Early life

She died of Bright's disease (as did all of her siblings), on 24 July 1945, and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, not far from where Collins lies. Felix joined her there 19 years later.

Correspondence

In 2000, some of the 300 letters sent by Kiernan and Collins to each other went on permanent display at the Cork Public Museum. These letters give a great insight into Kitty's attitude to life and into the political events of this time.

Former Fine Gael minister Peter Barry donated his collection of historic letters to the Lord Mayor of Cork, on behalf of the municipal museum. The collection, purchased from the Cronin family in 1995, was transferred to Marsh's Library in Dublin, where the letters were catalogued. The Peter Barry collection contains letters from Harry Boland, a friend of Collins and former suitor of Kitty Kiernan.

There are also a number of letters to Collins from various individuals and to Kiernan from others. The bulk of the letters between Collins and Kiernan were written between 1919 and 1922, and through their almost daily contact emerges a picture of the dreams and aspirations of the man often called Ireland’s "lost leader" and the woman with whom he wanted to share a "normal" life.

"Their correspondence represents a unique and revealing portrait of a remarkable man and an ordinary woman made extraordinary by tragic circumstances," said a museum spokesperson.

Popular culture

A number of Irish pubs are named in memory of Kitty Kiernan, such as one in Donnycarney, Dublin, Waterford, in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York and Linz, Austria.

References

Category:1892 births Category:1945 deaths Category:Women in European warfare Category:Women in 20th-century warfare Category:People of the Irish War of Independence Category:People from County Longford Category:Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Category:Deaths from nephritis