Captain Margaret Costello (née Donoghue)

Ballinrobe Company

Capt. Margaret Donoghue (later married Volunteer Tom Costello) played a vital role in the Tourmakeady Ambush. Margaret describes in her own words “We got everything ready before the ambush, food and that. I ran dispatches to Ballinrobe about eight miles, from the Brigadier on the morning of the ambush”. Margaret carried these dispatches to another Cumann na mBan member in Feeney’s house in Ballinrobe, passing through the Military on her way, undetected. Later that day, Margaret was involved in getting the doctor to Tom Maguire. After he was shot on the mountain, a girl called Ellen Kavanagh from Tawnagh (later Ellen Lally of Srah) was sent for Dr. Murphy who was lodging in Hewitt's Hotel. She was told to say that a woman in Tawnagh (Margaret Donoghue) had fallen off a ladder and wanted a doctor. Dr. Murphy came to Donoghue's and he was brought to Gortbunacullin to Pat Heneghan (Mhicilín) who brought him to Derassa and there he dressed Maguire.