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Love letter about Michael Collins from Lady Lavery is found

Long suspected affair between Irish rebel and British titled lady

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, December 16, 2011, 1:13 PM

Updated Friday, December 16, 2011, 1:13 PM

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A letter from the wife of a British nobleman describing Michael Collins as a man of “brilliancy as a romantic figure’ is to be auctioned in Dublin leading to renewed speculation they had an affair.

The Irish Times quotes from the letter from Lady Hazel Lavery which praises Collins for his ‘dignity, pride, wisdom, a wonderful beauty of character and qualities of statesmanship that only a few had begun to recognise’.

Lady Lavery added: “It is my greatest wish that something should be written about Michael that will be worthy of his greatness of mind and soul and that will show the world in the future, just what he meant in his life and death to the Irish people.”

The letter, written by Lady Lavery to a biographer just a few short years after the Rebel leader’s death, has come to light ahead of the sale of Collins memorabilia.

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Lady Lavery, whose image featured on the first Irish bank notes, hosted Collins and his delegation at several dinners when they went to London to sign the Anglo-Irish treaty 90 years ago.

The Chicago born wife of artist Sir John Lavery also introduced Collins and his entourage to many high profile figures in post World War 1 England, including her close friend Winston Churchill.

She was described as "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Midwest" during her US days.

Rumours that Lady Lavery had an affair with Collins while he resided in London during the Anglo-Irish Treaty talks have never been substantiated.

She was clearly taken with Collins however to judge by the newly discovered letter which was sent to author General Piaras Beasley, a survivor of the 1916 Rising, when he began to write a biography of Collins after his murder in 1922.

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She went on to describe Collins as: “A man of gay courage and brilliancy as a romantic figure.”

The Times reports that the four-page hand-written letter from Lady Lavery was sent to General Piaras Béaslaí, a veteran of the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, as he worked on a biography of Collins.

Beasley published his book ‘Michael Collins and the Making of a New Ireland’ to wide acclaim in 1926.

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seanomelbourne | Dec 14, 2011, 04:48 PM EST

Why are the blockheads demonising Irish women??? Ireland north you are an ingrate.

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CaptainCon | Dec 14, 2011, 09:20 AM EST

It seems Lady Lavery was a sympathiser not a supporter of British rule in Ireland. Describing her as one of the 'the enemies high society ladies' would indicate you haven't comprehended the actual news story. I dread to think what you'd make of Countess Markiewicz. Michael Collins should not be reduced to the level of a Sun news story from the reality TV generation. Gladstone spent an inordinate amount of time counselling ladies of the night from Piccadilly Circus and he is remembered more as a capable Prime Minister.

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IrelandNorth | Dec 14, 2011, 08:21 AM EST

After running the Black 'n' Tans ragged, he succeeded in bonking one of the enemies high society ladies. Terrorism/schmerrorism! (I wonder are there any little Michal'eens running around out there?) Nothing like the smell of eau-de-semtex to get the society ladies juicing.

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CaptainCon | Dec 13, 2011, 07:41 AM EST

Yeah- and Eamonn De Valera was the escapologist of the century and managed to walk out of a high security jail without the (cough) authorities knowing in advance. Is it true that De Valera had a Crown Pension?

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sharlot | Dec 12, 2011, 05:35 PM EST

Intriging!

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seanomelbourne | Dec 12, 2011, 05:01 PM EST

Well done borderboy fact beats fiction any day.You're correct in stating that the lavery's were republican sympathisers.

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KevinKehoe | Dec 12, 2011, 01:10 PM EST

Two Irishmen that may have given her one, ended up being shoot dead,sounds doggie.

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Borderboy | Dec 12, 2011, 12:36 PM EST

Unless they took the 'long way home' from Mass, I doubt if Hazel and Mick ever had an opportunity to climb into bed together. It is a preposterous notion, actually, thought up by people who want history in a Hollywood script. And I wish you would set aside the ridiculous notion that Hazel's husband was a 'British nobleman'. He was the son of a Belfast Catholic publican who managed to inveigle his way into London society because he was a good portrait painter. He was equally infatuated by Collins. Now don't start spreading rumours about that too!

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Murph46 | Dec 12, 2011, 12:20 PM EST

Sounds suspiciously like a blurb for a book.I hope he did sleep with her as my toast to the Queen goes.Here's to the Queen f... the Queen!

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CaptainCon | Dec 12, 2011, 11:33 AM EST

I agree Katielady and did not intend to suggest that Michael Collins lost his senses- not that sort of chap by all accounts. In connection with the dinner with Churchill I suspect that Lady Lavery may have had a hand in arranging that social meeting. All I know of the dinner party itself is that it went on late into the night and both Churchill and Collins very much enjoyed each other's company. Churchill prided himself as a judge of character and tended to make such judgements and Collins certainly impressed him as a leader and a man of substance.

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joycean | Dec 12, 2011, 11:25 AM EST

"Love letters" are letters between lovers. This is a letter of praise to a third party.

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Borderboy | Dec 12, 2011, 10:20 AM EST

John Lavery was probably no cuckold, and he was certainly not a British nobleman. He knew about the close relationship between his beautiful wife Hazel and Michael Collins during the period of the Treaty negotiations in London and he openly referred to Collins as his wife's 'Sunday husband'. That was because the Big Fella used to accompany her to Mass. Whether their close relationship was carnal has been a subject of speculation in modern times: previously, one would never question the honour or conduct of a lady and gentleman. Incidentally, the stunning Lady Lavery also had a close relationship with Kevin O'Higgins, the Cumann na nGaedhal government minister shot by the IRA when he was emerging from Mass in 1927. Again, there has been modern speculation about a love affair and there is more evidential substance for this from O'Higgins' passionate correspondence. Like many others, he was clearly smitten by the beautiful Chicago girl. As for John Lavery, he was born in Belfast and was the son of a Catholic pub owner. He studied art in Glasgow and Paris, settled in London and was appointed a 'War artist' in 1914 but was too ill to go to the front. So his war art tends was from the 'home front'. Nevertheless, he was knighted for his services at the end of the war and became Sir John Lavery. He seems to have lapsed from Catholicism, but his one-time faith was the reason Hazel (Martyn) was attracted to him in the fist place and married his after she became a young widow. Yet there is overwhelming evidence that he was no traitor to his Irish nationalist roots and he and Hazel were strong supporters of Sinn Féin and the breakaway Dáil Éireann, hence their hospitality for Collins, Arthur Griffith etc. during those crucial talks 90 years ago. There has been no speculation so far, however, that Hazel bedded Griffith,!

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katielady | Dec 12, 2011, 10:14 AM EST

I have read that Collins and Churchill had a good relationship in biographies of both. But while it may been a "long and bibulous" evening I doubt Michael Collins lost his senses. He was above all, a clever lad. They and Lady Lavery lived in times and events where "love" was also a romantic ideal. Michael Collins was an idealist,a realist and he was a devout Catholic with a romantic relationship with Kitty Kiernan. I doubt they had any 'consummation'.. but may have had a very strong romantic attraction.

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Springfield9 | Dec 12, 2011, 10:01 AM EST

How hard is it to put HER picture in the article?

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PaulFagan | Dec 12, 2011, 09:40 AM EST

Agree with CaptainCon

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