[1] She was an advanced Irish nationalist, whose career mirrored that of her husband, James Michael 'Citizen' Flanagan and her friend Constance Markievicz.
Perolz, as her friends called her, taught Irish history and language in classes organised by Inghinidhe na hÉireann for Dublin schoolchildren, conducted by lantern light at night.
[3] By 1916, Perolz was a committed revolutionary, having joined Cumann na mBan and the syndicalist Irish Citizen Army, of which her friend Constance Markievicz was a leading officer.
[4] She was a friend of James Connolly and in contact with Jim Larkin, the leaders of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union.
Perolz was registered at the official owner of Spark, a weekly socialist newspaper published between February 1915 and April 1916, edited by Markievicz.
At an important public meeting in March 1916, she spoke as Markievicz, who was banned under the Defence of the Realm Act 1914 from making appearances.
[7] As she cycled through Cork she met Tomás Mac Curtain and Terence MacSwiney in their broken-down car, on their way to inform volunteers that the Rising was cancelled.
[9] After the Rising Perolz hid out in Tralee,[10] but she was betrayed and arrested on 2 May 1916, and brought to Dublin Castle under escort and imprisoned at Mountjoy Jail.
James Connolly's secretary Winifred Carney went with Marie, Helena Molony, Brighid Foley,[12] and Ellen Ryan to Aylesbury Prison.