Georgiana Daisy Summerlin
“Sunday had always been Georgiana’s favorite day. Ever since she was a little girl, her family spent every Sunday morning together on the lawn. They drank her mother’s lemonade and enjoyed each other’s company. But not this Sunday. This Sunday would be the worst day of Georgiana’s life… and the last.” Georgiana Daisy Summerlin was born in London, England in 1900 to Oliver and Ava Summerlin. She was beautiful, with eyes as blue as the Caribbean Sea and golden hair. Her father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army during the Great War. Lieutenant Colonel Summerlin led his infantry battalion valiantly. After the war, he retired to spend time with his wife and three children. Georgiana’s father never brought the war into his personal life. He was a good husband and a great father.
Georgiana had a happy childhood. Her family owned a large estate right outside of London. They were members of high society and her mother had an impeccable social life. Georgiana had two brothers. John was older than Georgiana by two years and William was the youngest. As the oldest, John was forced to fill his father’s shoes when he was deployed. For this reason, he’d grown up to be tough. He would drill his friends around the school yard during recess. John aspired to be a soldier, like his father. Georgiana was vastly …show more content…
different. She either had her nose in a book or her head in the clouds. Her mother tried to make Georgiana into a lady. She’d forced Georgiana to partake in balls and dinner parties. She’d even tried to play matchmaker. Georgiana was certain she knew every “eligible male” in all of Great Britain. No matter how hard her mother tried to turn Georgiana into a proper woman, Georgiana resisted. She knew she wanted more out of life than that. Georgiana’s life changed in 1919. As the Irish Republican Army (IRA) grew in Ireland, the Secretary of State for War began recruiting for a force to suppress the Irish rebels (Kissane, pp. 4). Winston Churchill sent letters to retired high ranking officers asking them to lead the units. Georgiana remembered the day her father got a letter. Her mother wept. Her mother hated the military and war; her brother had died in battle and her husband had spent four years in trenches in France. However, her father was dutiful to his country and accepted the position. Within a week, the entire Summerlin family moved to Dublin, Ireland. Georgiana parted ways with the small, but close, group of friends she had in London, packed all of her books, and moved to an entirely different world. Her mother was devastated. She’d left behind London society for a “dirty, Fenian-filled Ireland.”
The name of her father’s force was the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve but they quickly earned the nickname “Black and Tans,” because of their uniforms. Georgiana remembered laughing the first time her father put it on. Within a month of her father leading the Black and Tans, her brother volunteered for the force.
At first, Georgiana was blind to the atrocities that the Black and Tans committed against the Irish civilians. Her father rarely talked about work and she never asked. However, John was passionate and filled with rage against the Irish. He saw them as irrational drunkards causing destruction and rebelling against their Motherland.
John frequently had fellow Black and Tans over for drinks at the end of the day. They’d talk about politics and work; though, to Georgiana, it always seemed as if they were little boys trying to play grown up. One of John’s friends was Lewis Taylor. Taylor’s family was British but had lived in Dublin before the rebellion in 1916. Lewis was a tall boy with warm brown eyes who never took himself too seriously. Georgiana was puzzled that the boy could stand to be around her brother. Lewis spent more and more time around the house. They clicked in a way that Georgiana had never felt before. They’d talk about literature and adventures they’d go on in the future. It was no surprise that they were engaged by the end of the year.
One day in January of 1920, Georgiana and Lewis walked to a book store. It was Georgiana’s favorite and she insisted that Lewis go with her. They passed a group of men shouting at the top of their lungs. Georgiana, as inquisitive as ever, stopped to listen to the men.
Lewis recognized the men and grabbed Georgiana’s hand. He said, “Georgie, please, let’s go. This is no place to be hangin’ around.” Georgiana got closer so she could hear.
The man at the top of the makeshift stage was Ernie O’Malley, an organizer for the IRA. He was screaming anti-British rhetoric while the rest of the men were shouting in agreeance. It was the first-time Georgiana had heard the grievances of the IRA. She’d seen their graffiti and heard stories from her brother and his friends. But never had she heard them speak. He told stories of the Black and Tans burning houses, beating women, and slaughtering fathers. However, the most powerful part was that O’Malley’s voice was filled with hopefulness. He spoke of British oppression but the focal point of his words was Irish liberation. He dreamed of an independent Ireland; a country of their own.
After a few minutes, Lewis refused to stay any longer and dragged Georgiana away from the demonstration. While she walked away that day, the spark had been lit.
Lemonade on a Sunday Morning is a film about IRA member Georgiana Summerlin. Georgiana joined the IRA in 1920 and became a prominent member of the organization.
After her first IRA meeting, Georgiana realized she’d found her place in life. She was filled with love for a country that she’d only lived in for two years. She resonated with the hurting Irish people. She believed in their cause. Within two months, Georgiana was participating in guerrilla warfare. The Englishwoman who’d grown up in fine dresses with a book in her hand, now held a gun.
The first scene of the movie is Georgiana’s first ambush. Georgiana and a squad of 12 IRA members assaulted a British patrol in downtown Dublin. With a perfect shot, she pulled the trigger for the first time and hit a young man square in the chest. The pain in the man’s eyes reminded her of her brothers. She thought of her mother’s lemonade and her brothers’ arguments over who finished their glass first. She dropped the gun. Then, she remembered the story of the Black and Tans burning an Irish family’s home and shooting the father, who’d allegedly been a rebel. She picked up the gun and never put it down again.
Georgiana lived two lives. During the day, Georgiana fought for Irish freedom. At night, she went home to her warm bed with silk sheets in her beautiful home. She kept her engagement to Lewis, who was still a Black and Tan. Her mother had already ordered the dress. Georgiana also ate dinner with her family every night. At dinner, John would steer the conversation to the “Fenians,” a term he used for the IRA. Georgiana normally held her tongue. However, one night, she spoke up and said the “so-called-Fenians” were simply representatives of the nationwide cry for sovereignty (Kissane, pp. 26). It was the only time she’d seen her mild tempered father mad.
By October, the situation between the British and Irish extremists had worsened. The Black and Tans were increasingly more brutal and the IRA were more enraged. The IRA began setting off bombs in barracks and launching several attacks a day against British troops.
The turning point in the film was when Lewis and Georgiana were sitting in the Summerlin’s parlor. Lewis could feel a strain in their relationship. He tried to grab her hand and she immediately pulled away, knocking over her purse. Out fell a flyer with a raised fist, a symbol of the IRA. Lewis slowly picked it up and starred at it. His eyes began to water.
Desperate to keep her secret hidden from her family, Georgiana snatched the flyer and ripped it into tiny shreds. She begged Lewis to never speak a word of this to anyone.
His warm brown eyes had gone black and he said, with a trembling voice, “You have to choose. It’s us, your family and I, or the terrorists you’ve associated yourself with.” Within seconds, he could see that Georgiana wouldn’t give up the IRA. While walking out of the parlor, he said, “I guess I mean nothing to you, Georgie.”
Overwhelmed with confusion and grief, Georgiana ran to her room and packed a few of her belongings. Without a note or kiss goodbye, she fled from the estate. She didn’t stop running until she reached the underground headquarters of the IRA.
Nothing was holding Georgiana back from the cause. She rose in rank in the IRA and became one of the key planners. They had designed an elaborate plan to take out the “Murder Gang,” a British intelligence group, by assassinating them in their homes.
It all started the morning of 21 November 1920.
Georgiana sat up in the cot she’d slept on for the last month and a half. She could feel the raised bruise on her leg from one of the Black and Tan’s baton. She pulled off her shirt and changed into a makeshift uniform. The men in the room didn’t look away, they saw Georgiana as one of the guys. Initially, they’d been hesitant to have a woman in the frontlines. However, Georgiana proved her ability, both in battle and at the planning table. She was an expert shot. Additionally, she used her gender to benefit the IRA. It was easier for a woman to collect intelligence than a man who had been marked as a
terrorist.
Michael Collins, a revolutionary leader, called all the men and Georgiana over to the table in the center of the room. He briefed them on the plan and where they’d start. After questions were asked and gear was distributed, Collins gave final words of encouragement before moving the men out of the headquarters.
The morning was a whirlwind for Georgiana. By mid-morning, they hit 22 Lower Mount Street. The IRA easily took out the British intelligence officer that lived in the building. However, before they could escape, the building was surrounded by Black and Tans. The only way out was through a firefight. The IRA mustered up all their energy and courage and ran out of the building. Shots were fired from all directions.
Georgiana ran out of the building and crawled towards cover. As she was moving across the street, she was told to halt by a familiar voice. She looked up and saw her brother. No longer was he John Summerlin, a little boy playing grown up. He was now Sergeant Summerlin, with his gun’s muzzle pointed directly at Georgiana.
With a shaking voice, John said, “Georgie, drop your weapon and come home. It isn’t worth it.” Georgiana was frozen for a moment. She remembered her mother’s lemonade on a hot Sunday morning. Then, she thought about the people she was fighting for; the people who saw her for more than just a woman. She choked back tears and raised her gun.
Bang! Georgiana felt a sharp pain in her chest and saw a puddle of blood form on her olive-green blouse. She looked up one last time at her brother. She then dropped to the ground. All she could think about was her mother’s lemonade on a Sunday morning.
The last scene of the movie shows two ceremonies. One, Georgiana’s official funeral. John had brought her body home. He created a cover-up story to preserve his little sister’s image. Georgiana’s veteran father, who had survived the trenches of France and the streets of Dublin, wept for his only daughter. The second ceremony was in an alley in Dublin. The group of men who’d survived “Bloody Sunday” had gathered to pay their dues to all the men, and women, who’d lost their lives in the fight for independence. One of those who was honored was Georgiana Summerlin, a strong fighter and a brilliant mind in the War for Independence.
Georgiana had a happy childhood. Her family owned a large estate right outside of London. They were members of high society and her mother had an impeccable social life. Georgiana had two brothers. John was older than Georgiana by two years and William was the youngest. As the oldest, John was forced to fill his father’s shoes when he was deployed. For this reason, he’d grown up to be tough. He would drill his friends around the school yard during recess. John aspired to be a soldier, like his father. Georgiana was vastly …show more content…
different. She either had her nose in a book or her head in the clouds. Her mother tried to make Georgiana into a lady. She’d forced Georgiana to partake in balls and dinner parties. She’d even tried to play matchmaker. Georgiana was certain she knew every “eligible male” in all of Great Britain. No matter how hard her mother tried to turn Georgiana into a proper woman, Georgiana resisted. She knew she wanted more out of life than that. Georgiana’s life changed in 1919. As the Irish Republican Army (IRA) grew in Ireland, the Secretary of State for War began recruiting for a force to suppress the Irish rebels (Kissane, pp. 4). Winston Churchill sent letters to retired high ranking officers asking them to lead the units. Georgiana remembered the day her father got a letter. Her mother wept. Her mother hated the military and war; her brother had died in battle and her husband had spent four years in trenches in France. However, her father was dutiful to his country and accepted the position. Within a week, the entire Summerlin family moved to Dublin, Ireland. Georgiana parted ways with the small, but close, group of friends she had in London, packed all of her books, and moved to an entirely different world. Her mother was devastated. She’d left behind London society for a “dirty, Fenian-filled Ireland.”
The name of her father’s force was the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve but they quickly earned the nickname “Black and Tans,” because of their uniforms. Georgiana remembered laughing the first time her father put it on. Within a month of her father leading the Black and Tans, her brother volunteered for the force.
At first, Georgiana was blind to the atrocities that the Black and Tans committed against the Irish civilians. Her father rarely talked about work and she never asked. However, John was passionate and filled with rage against the Irish. He saw them as irrational drunkards causing destruction and rebelling against their Motherland.
John frequently had fellow Black and Tans over for drinks at the end of the day. They’d talk about politics and work; though, to Georgiana, it always seemed as if they were little boys trying to play grown up. One of John’s friends was Lewis Taylor. Taylor’s family was British but had lived in Dublin before the rebellion in 1916. Lewis was a tall boy with warm brown eyes who never took himself too seriously. Georgiana was puzzled that the boy could stand to be around her brother. Lewis spent more and more time around the house. They clicked in a way that Georgiana had never felt before. They’d talk about literature and adventures they’d go on in the future. It was no surprise that they were engaged by the end of the year.
One day in January of 1920, Georgiana and Lewis walked to a book store. It was Georgiana’s favorite and she insisted that Lewis go with her. They passed a group of men shouting at the top of their lungs. Georgiana, as inquisitive as ever, stopped to listen to the men.
Lewis recognized the men and grabbed Georgiana’s hand. He said, “Georgie, please, let’s go. This is no place to be hangin’ around.” Georgiana got closer so she could hear.
The man at the top of the makeshift stage was Ernie O’Malley, an organizer for the IRA. He was screaming anti-British rhetoric while the rest of the men were shouting in agreeance. It was the first-time Georgiana had heard the grievances of the IRA. She’d seen their graffiti and heard stories from her brother and his friends. But never had she heard them speak. He told stories of the Black and Tans burning houses, beating women, and slaughtering fathers. However, the most powerful part was that O’Malley’s voice was filled with hopefulness. He spoke of British oppression but the focal point of his words was Irish liberation. He dreamed of an independent Ireland; a country of their own.
After a few minutes, Lewis refused to stay any longer and dragged Georgiana away from the demonstration. While she walked away that day, the spark had been lit.
Lemonade on a Sunday Morning is a film about IRA member Georgiana Summerlin. Georgiana joined the IRA in 1920 and became a prominent member of the organization.
After her first IRA meeting, Georgiana realized she’d found her place in life. She was filled with love for a country that she’d only lived in for two years. She resonated with the hurting Irish people. She believed in their cause. Within two months, Georgiana was participating in guerrilla warfare. The Englishwoman who’d grown up in fine dresses with a book in her hand, now held a gun.
The first scene of the movie is Georgiana’s first ambush. Georgiana and a squad of 12 IRA members assaulted a British patrol in downtown Dublin. With a perfect shot, she pulled the trigger for the first time and hit a young man square in the chest. The pain in the man’s eyes reminded her of her brothers. She thought of her mother’s lemonade and her brothers’ arguments over who finished their glass first. She dropped the gun. Then, she remembered the story of the Black and Tans burning an Irish family’s home and shooting the father, who’d allegedly been a rebel. She picked up the gun and never put it down again.
Georgiana lived two lives. During the day, Georgiana fought for Irish freedom. At night, she went home to her warm bed with silk sheets in her beautiful home. She kept her engagement to Lewis, who was still a Black and Tan. Her mother had already ordered the dress. Georgiana also ate dinner with her family every night. At dinner, John would steer the conversation to the “Fenians,” a term he used for the IRA. Georgiana normally held her tongue. However, one night, she spoke up and said the “so-called-Fenians” were simply representatives of the nationwide cry for sovereignty (Kissane, pp. 26). It was the only time she’d seen her mild tempered father mad.
By October, the situation between the British and Irish extremists had worsened. The Black and Tans were increasingly more brutal and the IRA were more enraged. The IRA began setting off bombs in barracks and launching several attacks a day against British troops.
The turning point in the film was when Lewis and Georgiana were sitting in the Summerlin’s parlor. Lewis could feel a strain in their relationship. He tried to grab her hand and she immediately pulled away, knocking over her purse. Out fell a flyer with a raised fist, a symbol of the IRA. Lewis slowly picked it up and starred at it. His eyes began to water.
Desperate to keep her secret hidden from her family, Georgiana snatched the flyer and ripped it into tiny shreds. She begged Lewis to never speak a word of this to anyone.
His warm brown eyes had gone black and he said, with a trembling voice, “You have to choose. It’s us, your family and I, or the terrorists you’ve associated yourself with.” Within seconds, he could see that Georgiana wouldn’t give up the IRA. While walking out of the parlor, he said, “I guess I mean nothing to you, Georgie.”
Overwhelmed with confusion and grief, Georgiana ran to her room and packed a few of her belongings. Without a note or kiss goodbye, she fled from the estate. She didn’t stop running until she reached the underground headquarters of the IRA.
Nothing was holding Georgiana back from the cause. She rose in rank in the IRA and became one of the key planners. They had designed an elaborate plan to take out the “Murder Gang,” a British intelligence group, by assassinating them in their homes.
It all started the morning of 21 November 1920.
Georgiana sat up in the cot she’d slept on for the last month and a half. She could feel the raised bruise on her leg from one of the Black and Tan’s baton. She pulled off her shirt and changed into a makeshift uniform. The men in the room didn’t look away, they saw Georgiana as one of the guys. Initially, they’d been hesitant to have a woman in the frontlines. However, Georgiana proved her ability, both in battle and at the planning table. She was an expert shot. Additionally, she used her gender to benefit the IRA. It was easier for a woman to collect intelligence than a man who had been marked as a
terrorist.
Michael Collins, a revolutionary leader, called all the men and Georgiana over to the table in the center of the room. He briefed them on the plan and where they’d start. After questions were asked and gear was distributed, Collins gave final words of encouragement before moving the men out of the headquarters.
The morning was a whirlwind for Georgiana. By mid-morning, they hit 22 Lower Mount Street. The IRA easily took out the British intelligence officer that lived in the building. However, before they could escape, the building was surrounded by Black and Tans. The only way out was through a firefight. The IRA mustered up all their energy and courage and ran out of the building. Shots were fired from all directions.
Georgiana ran out of the building and crawled towards cover. As she was moving across the street, she was told to halt by a familiar voice. She looked up and saw her brother. No longer was he John Summerlin, a little boy playing grown up. He was now Sergeant Summerlin, with his gun’s muzzle pointed directly at Georgiana.
With a shaking voice, John said, “Georgie, drop your weapon and come home. It isn’t worth it.” Georgiana was frozen for a moment. She remembered her mother’s lemonade on a hot Sunday morning. Then, she thought about the people she was fighting for; the people who saw her for more than just a woman. She choked back tears and raised her gun.
Bang! Georgiana felt a sharp pain in her chest and saw a puddle of blood form on her olive-green blouse. She looked up one last time at her brother. She then dropped to the ground. All she could think about was her mother’s lemonade on a Sunday morning.
The last scene of the movie shows two ceremonies. One, Georgiana’s official funeral. John had brought her body home. He created a cover-up story to preserve his little sister’s image. Georgiana’s veteran father, who had survived the trenches of France and the streets of Dublin, wept for his only daughter. The second ceremony was in an alley in Dublin. The group of men who’d survived “Bloody Sunday” had gathered to pay their dues to all the men, and women, who’d lost their lives in the fight for independence. One of those who was honored was Georgiana Summerlin, a strong fighter and a brilliant mind in the War for Independence.