Lord of the Dance
Street mural of Easter Rising women appears overnight in Dublin to mark International Women's Day
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Street mural of Easter Rising women appears overnight in Dublin to mark International Women's Day

THREE of Ireland's most historic female figures have appeared on a massive mural in Dublin overnight, to mark International Women's Day.

The 35ft artwork, on the side of a building on George's Street in the city centre, features Countess Markievicz, Margaret Pearse and Grace Gifford-Plunkett.

All three women played pivotal roles in the Easter Rising in 1916.

Countess Markievicz, a member of the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), fought in the Easter Rising alongside Éamon de Valera and James Connolly.

Margaret Pearse lost her sons Pádraig and Willie Pearse after the Rising when both were executed for their part in the rebellion.

After the dust settled, she became a politician, joining Sinn Féin and later Fianna Fáil.

Grace Gifford-Plunkett, a Sinn Féin politician, married her husband Joseph Plunkett just hours before his execution after the Rising.

She later became involved in the Irish Civil War and spent some time in prison herself.

The portrait of the three women - called 'Le Chéile i nGruaig' (Together in the Hair) - is by street artist Gearóid O'Dea.

He used the same building as his canvas for a supportive message for the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland last summer.