Katie Byrne, Cumann na mBan / GHQ Squad, 1920

Katie Byrne, Cumann na mBan / GHQ Squad, 1920

Katie Byrne (later known as Catherine Rooney) was a member of Cumann na mBan, taking part in the 1916 Rising and serving between the GPO and other parts of the city delivering despatches. She went on to become an integral part of the Dublin Cumann na mBan, smuggling arms and ammunition (for example, Byrne and her sister Alice transported gelignite explosives and ammunition from Glasgow to Dublin by sewing the sticks into their clothing), carrying despatches, providing locations for arms dumps, smuggling items into Mountjoy Jail and conveying messages out of the prison.
While she was officially attached to 2^nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, Byrne was also detailed to act in conjunction with the GHQ Squad, for example, she facilitated them by setting up her home as a headquarters and safe house. She also attended the wounded IRA men after ambushes (she was ordered to be ready to attend the wounded on Bloody Sunday) and attended Seán Treacy on Talbot Street when he was fatally shot.
Katie Byrne contributes a Witness Statement to the Bureau of Military History and also made a pension application, both of which detailed her activities. While all applicants for the Military Pension had to provide references, it was much more difficult for women to prove active service than male participants, and often led to the women who participated in Ireland’s struggle for independence not receiving the pension.