{"id":2562,"date":"2016-02-18T23:24:03","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T23:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2016-02-19T03:01:49","modified_gmt":"2016-02-19T03:01:49","slug":"chicago-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/chicago-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago May – the Mary Ann Duignan Story…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Court
Court sketch of Chicago May on trial in 1907<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mary
Mary Ann Duignan was the daughter of Francis Duignan of Edenmore in Ballinamuck where she grew up, and Ann Grey of Mohill in Leirtim. From a poor background she would rise – or fall as we may see it! – to being one of the biggest conwomen of her time, who would call herself the “Queen of Crooks”, in time though, the law caought up with her and she died in poverty and obscurity. She was the Ronnie Biggs of her day…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not for her the toil of the cold hard soil
\nThe neighbours angry word, the calling agent of the landlord
\nThe cries of hungry children and roars of drunken men
\nThe cattle bearing the ribbonmens sword: a mother of many with more on board<\/p>\n

Her? She saught freedom.<\/p>\n

She asked her father for her share of the money she new was there
\nAngrily he replied, she was rebuked, denied
\nProdigal daughter with greed did look, one night flight with the lot she took
\nWith exhaustion her mother sighed as the first breaths of life her sister cried.<\/p>\n

She took freedom.<\/p>\n

To Liverpool she set sail and did not fail
\nFabrics fair she bought the latest garments to wear
\nOnly herself to please she took again to the seas
\nShe did not care: no one would know here over there<\/p>\n

She relished freedom.<\/p>\n

But there with temptation of drink, money runs out quicker than you think
\nThe crisis present is real, she learns quick to steal
\nOn the wind a girl wont thrive: must do what she must to survive
\nThis is the streets deal, hard hearts don’t feel<\/p>\n

How high the price of freedom!<\/p>\n

But better times and more high profile crimes
\nWith lovers she took to her bed and not clients instead
\nThe life of romance, the Telegraph raid in France
\nWhat a life she led from the one for which she was bred:<\/p>\n

Drunk on the excitement of freedom!<\/p>\n

But time in time saw the long hand of the law
\nCut her down in the prime of her crime
\nOne lover another shot, in the foot the bullet him it got
\nFate strikes sudden and sublime: seventeen years was her time…<\/p>\n

The pays the cost of freedom!<\/p>\n

Her time done, her freedom again won
\nMarkeiwitz she did meet who was happy her to greet
\nLong lost fer fame, once again on the game
\nAge and time did defeat the Queen of the Street.<\/p>\n

What use now for empty freedom?<\/p>\n

Reference:
\n* History Ireland – The Most Dangerous Woman in the World
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

* Wikipedia – Chicago May<\/a><\/p>\n

* Her baptism cert<\/a><\/p>\n

* Historical Heroines blog – more background story<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Not for her the toil of the cold hard soil The neighbours angry word, the calling agent of the landlord The cries of hungry children and roars of drunken men The cattle bearing the ribbonmens sword: a mother of many with more on board Her? She saught freedom. She …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[161,2695,2696,1868,2693,2697,2694],"class_list":["post-2562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-north-longford","tag-ballinamuck","tag-chicago-may","tag-diamond-may","tag-edenmore","tag-mary-ann-duignan","tag-mohill","tag-the-queen-of-crooks","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-Fk","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4187,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/remembering-a-country-girl\/","url_meta":{"origin":2562,"position":0},"title":"Remembering a Country Girl","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"25th November 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Verses pondering the life of May Ann Duignan (Degnan), aka Mrs May Churchill Sharpe, aka Chicago May, as I walked past her families homestead on the way to my own one summers evening. 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Chicago May and her wild red hair sent many men to their deaths, or to kill...","rel":"","context":"In "Death"","block_context":{"text":"Death","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/death\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Finchley Cemetry when it was consecrated in 1854","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Finchley-Cemetry-when-it-was-consecrated-in-1854.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Finchley-Cemetry-when-it-was-consecrated-in-1854.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Finchley-Cemetry-when-it-was-consecrated-in-1854.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4458,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/rebel-asleep\/","url_meta":{"origin":2562,"position":2},"title":"Rebel Asleep","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"23rd February 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pondering the sleeping rebels who fled after defeat at Ballinamuck in 1798 who sought refuge in Edenmore Bog","rel":"","context":"In "1798 Rebellion"","block_context":{"text":"1798 Rebellion","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/irelands-wars\/1798-rebellion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Edenmore Hill and the Edenmore Bog Walk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Edenmore-Hill-and-the-Edenmore-Bog-Walk.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Edenmore-Hill-and-the-Edenmore-Bog-Walk.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Edenmore-Hill-and-the-Edenmore-Bog-Walk.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Edenmore-Hill-and-the-Edenmore-Bog-Walk.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5048,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/blackbirds-at-ballinamuck-sing-in-the-trees\/","url_meta":{"origin":2562,"position":3},"title":"Blackbirds at Ballinamuck Sing in The Trees","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"3rd September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The blackbirds at Ballinamuck sing among the trees Where the rebels, prone, were slain, English cavalry chased through where horses could run To kill the walking wounded who remain. 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