Photograph of Mary Sheldreck, c. 1912. Sheldreck was a member of Cumann na mBan and died after sustaining injuries during the Rising. She was with Countess Markievicz in Stephen’s Green during the Rising.

Cumann na mBan, an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation, was founded in response to the establishment of the male-only Irish Volunteers in 1913. Their first official meeting was in Wynn’s Hotel on 2 April 1914. Cumann na mBan went on to play a vital role in the Easter Rising, fighting alongside members of the Irish Citizen Army and the Irish Volunteers. In their 1914 membership booklet, members of the Provisional Committee include: Mrs. John MacNeill, Mrs. Wyse Power, Madam O'Rahilly, Miss Agnes O'Farrelly, Mrs. Tuohy, Mrs. MacDonagh O'Mahony, Miss Gavan Duffy, Mrs. Pádraic Colum. Louise Gavan Duffy and Mary M. Colum are listed as the Honorary Secretaries.