On 4 May 1916 inside Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Joseph Plunkett was hours away from execution when he was granted one final request, and that request was to marry his fiancée Grace Gifford, and the ceremony took place in a small prison chapel under armed guard with soldiers lining the walls, and the priest hurried through the vows while the couple stood together knowing exactly what would happen next, and when it was over they were given just ten minutes alone together in a cell, ten minutes as husband and wife, before guards returned and took Plunkett away, and he was led into the Stonebreaker’s Yard at dawn, placed in front of a firing squad, and executed minutes after leaving his bride behind.
Interesting Fact
Joseph Plunkett was already dying from severe tuberculosis at the time of his execution. Some reports suggest he had to be helped to stand before the firing squad. Grace Gifford never remarried.
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