A Brief local history of the cumann na mban
Cumann na mBan or the “Irishwomen’s Council” was founded in April of 1914 at Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin and was a Nationalist organisation which aligned closely with the Irish Volunteer movement. Initially much of their activities on a local level involved fundraising and providing first-aid training for their members, but their primary objective of “advancing the cause of Irish liberty” and to “assist in arming and equipping a body of Irish men for the defence of Ireland” would ring more and more true as Ireland approached the revolutionary events of Easter 1916 and latterly during the War of Independence.

A Waterford City branch was founded in July of 1914 and was led by such Gaelic League activists as Rosamond Jacob and Alice Colfer. Subsequently smaller branches were formed all over the County Waterford, including Cumanns at Ardmore, Clashmore & Piltown, the latter of which we will focus on in this article.