Violet Gibson

Violet Gibson, who had a privileged upbringing as daughter of a Lord Chancellor of Ireland, shot 'Il Duce' as he walked among a crowd in Rome in 1926.

He said the plaque was a "marker" that people need to wake up to the rise of fascism across Europe. Violet Gibson was a political individual, an extraordinary individual, a brave individual who suffered all her life. She argued that Churchill and Mussolini decided it would be best if she was deported to England, declared insane and locked up for the rest of her life. "I think this is the first time a woman like Violet Gibson has been honoured as an anti-fascist. And I am so happy that on this beautiful sunny day Violet Gibson is home." "She was basically incarcerated until her death quite wrongly. Violet Gibson was the subject of a 2014 At least one members of the party reportedly owns memorabilia of Mussolini which they are proud of. "Her political act was going to damage Italian-British relations. After the shooting, 'Il Duce' was shocked that an "old, ugly woman" would shoot him, said Ms Lynam. She was then deported to Britain after being released without charge at the request of Mussolini. Violet was almost killed by the crowd until police intervened and arrested her, while Mussolini survived with only minor injuries.

Violet Gibson, the Irish woman who tried to kill Mussolini, will today be honoured with a commemorative plaque outside her childhood home at 12 Merrion ...

After the assassination, Ms Gibson spent a period of time in Italian jails but authorities were keen to avoid the embarrassment of a trial and she was eventually deported to Britain. Her family had her detained in St Andrew's Hospital, a mental asylum in Northampton, and it was there that she lived until her death in 1956. Last year, Dublin City Council passed a motion lauding Ms Gibson as a “committed anti-fascist” and said it was time she was honoured with “her rightful place in the history of Irish women and in the rich history of the Irish nation and its people.”

The decision to erect the plaque was made by the Dublin City Council Commemorations & Naming Committee.

Educated at home by governesses, she was a debutante at the court of Queen Victoria, and lived a privileged life. Of all the would-be assassins of Mussolini, she came closest to changing the course of history. Gibson was the daughter of Lord Ashbourne, Lord Chancellor of Ireland and the first Baron Ashbourne in 1885. It has been thought that Gibson was insane at the time of the attack and the idea of assassinating Mussolini was hers and that she worked alone. She was deported to Britain after being released without charge at the request of Mussolini, an act for which he received the thanks of the British government. Mussolini was wounded only slightly, dismissing his injury as "a mere trifle", and after his nose was bandaged he continued his parade on the Capitoline Hill.

The bullet lightly grazed his nose in 1926 and Violet Gibson was quickly roughed up by outraged fascists in Rome.

Her family had her detained in St Andrew's Hospital, a mental asylum in Northampton, and it was there that she lived until her death in 1956. Last year, Dublin City Council passed a motion lauding Ms Gibson as a “committed anti-fascist” and said it was time she was honoured with “her rightful place in the history of Irish women and in the rich history of the Irish nation and its people.” After the assassination, Ms Gibson spent a period of time in Italian jails but authorities were keen to avoid the embarrassment of a trial and she was eventually deported to Britain.

A MEMORIAL is to be unveiled today in Dublin for Violet Gibson, the Irish woman who shot Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1926.

She converted to Catholicism and in her 20s travelled extensively. Violet Gibson was the subject of a 2014 RTE radio documentary and a 2020 TV documentary. She was then deported to Britain after being released without charge at the request of Mussolini.

Violet Gibson pointed a gun at dictator Benito Mussolini in a packed Italian public square in 1926.

Ms Lynam said that Ms Gibson was judged as “a mad Irish mystic” and “a crazy Irish spinster” by a world who thought Mussolini was “perfectly sane”. She said that headlines around the globe and world leaders condemned the attack, including WT Cosgrave, the president of the executive council of the then-Irish Free State, who called it an “odious attempt”. She described Ms Gibson as “a highly intelligent, artistically gifted, well-travelled and bold-thinking woman”, who had a “strong commitment to social justice and was an avid pacifist”.

Violet Gibson, the Irish woman who tried to kill Mussolini, will today be honoured with a commemorative plaque outside her childhood home at 12 Merrion ...

After the assassination, Ms Gibson spent a period of time in Italian jails but authorities were keen to avoid the embarrassment of a trial and she was eventually deported to Britain. Her family had her detained in St Andrew's Hospital, a mental asylum in Northampton, and it was there that she lived until her death in 1956. Last year, Dublin City Council passed a motion lauding Ms Gibson as a “committed anti-fascist” and said it was time she was honoured with “her rightful place in the history of Irish women and in the rich history of the Irish nation and its people.”