Today we remember Grace Gifford Plunkett, who died #OnThisDay in 1955.

"Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger."

Grace was born in Dublin in March 1888, and as a young woman, studied art in both her home city and London. In 1915, she met Joseph Mary Plunkett and was soon engaged to be married.

Unknown to Grace, however, Joseph was a member of the Irish Volunteers and was involved in planning a rebellion in Dublin in 1916.

When the Easter Rising came to an end, the rebel leaders, including Joseph, were imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol and subsequently sentenced to death.

When she heard that her fiancée was to be executed at dawn, she bought a ring, and persuaded the British authorities to allow a marriage to take place in the Gaol.

They were married on the night of May 3rd 1916, just a few hours before Joseph's execution by firing squad.

In the aftermath of the 1916 Rising, Grace became a key figure in the Republican movement, using her skills as an artist to promote Sinn Féin policies in newspapers during the War of Independence.

Like the other widows of the 1916 leaders, Grace was opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, and supported anti-Treaty forces during the Civil War. In February 1923, she was arrested by the new government and was held for several months in Kilmainham Gaol.

After the Civil War, Grace continued to make a living as an artist, and ultimately never remarried. She died on 13 December 1955 and was buried here in Glasnevin Cemetery with full military honours.

Her grave is among the most visited in the cemetery, with the tragic story of her love with Joseph Plunkett inspiring one of Ireland's most famous songs, which is simply titled 'Grace'.

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