Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #471304 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Synopsis
There has always been argument about whether Pearse's leadership of the Easter Rising in 1916 represented a failure or a triumph. Pearse, who found himself on Easter Monday proclaimed President of the Provisional Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Republic, took on himself the most bitter of roles at the finish: he was the first to make the move to surrender - and he was the first to be executed. In this re-issued major biography, Ruth Dudley Edwards has placed Patrick Pearse in his historical, political and cultural context: she discusses his involvement with the Gaelic League, his role as a military leader in the nationalist movement and his claims as a socialist. Her account of his life does full justice to the story, recording its irony, absurdity and courage. This book will do much to arouse fresh interest in Patrick Pearse; it is sympathetic, balanced, meticulously researched, and above all highly readable.

Customer Reviews

Strange Book
Having read other books and accounts of the life of Pearse - it becomes obvious that the author has a personal resentment against Pearse and/or the Rebellion of 1916. Ruth Dudley Edwards has a strong affinity with the planted British people of Ireland, particularly loyalist/unionist orangemen in the northern half of the country.....that bias becomes obvious when reading this book. Not remotely objective and the deep underlying grudge of the author towards Irish Republicanism is clearly evident.

Excellent Biography of 1916 Icon
Patrick Pearse is an icon in Irish history and is often given the title of first President of Ireland. Ruth Dudley Edwards (RDE) wrote this book in 1977 and it has been re-published in 2006 in its original form.

This book describes a man of many parts. Pearse was a writer, poet, teacher, lecturer, Irish language enthusiast, newspaper man, and finally - a revolutionary. RDE writes a detailed account of his life that is not revisionist in my view. She quotes liberally from many sources for what is a well researched book. She defends her decision not to list all sources as the "source material for ths book was so extensive that I have had to cut references drastically to keep them to a manageable level". This will be a slight disappointment for anyone researching Pearse.

There's much more to Patrick Pearse than his 1916 martyrdom. He comes across as a idealist who fails to understand why others do not live up to his own ideals. His early ambition was to save the Irish language and he writes a lot about the "Gael" in his prose and poetry. Most of his life was devoted to education and perhaps his finest achievement was the (ultimately doomed) establishment of St Enda's and St Ita's schools. RDE describes his constant money worries and his efforts at raising funds to keep the school going without state support.

Pearse's involvement in the 1916 rebellion seems to have happened gradually. He was not ambitious to be a politician or head of a government - he seems to have slowly risen to the top of the revolutionary movement without too many obstacles. Much is made of his deathwish to die for Ireland. While he did not want to throw his life away, he was certainly prepared to pay the ultimate price. Pearse is claimed by all sides in post 1916 Ireland as the Father of Ireland - he is curiously apolitical in that both sides of the subsequent civil war viewed him as their own.

One should always take something away when reading a biography. While he certainly was an idealist, Pearse's devotion to his family is laudable - especially to his brother Willie. His final letter to his mother an hour before execution is very moving. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Pearse was his tireless devotion to whatever cause he championed. He spent all his time working with little interest in leisure - he made the most of his short time on earth. While he ultimately failed at almost everything he did, in death he triumphed.