Nationalist leader, Maud Gonne (c. 1865-1953) was called the "Irish Joan of Arc," for her activities on behalf of Ireland's independence movement.

Born in England to English parents, Maud Gonne was the daughter of Edith Frith Cook and Thomas Gonne. Her mother was a member of the distinguished and wealthy Cook family, who manufactured silk, linen, woolen, and cotton goods and sold them throughout the world. The Cooks were also a military family, with younger sons joining the queen's service and daughters marrying officers. Edith Cook was no exception, for Thomas Gonne was a captain in the 17th Light Dragoons when they were married on December 19, 1865. It has been suggested that Maud was born the following day, or very soon thereafter. No record exists of her birth. Since it was illegal not to record the birth of a child, it is assumed that her parents wanted to hide...