Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.—Patrick Pearse
A schoolteacher, lawyer, and fervent Irish nationalist, Patrick Pearse (1879–1916) was one of the most notable leaders of the Easter Rising against British rule in 1916. The uprising—the most significant Irish rebellion in more than a century—would set in motion a chain of events that led to Irish independence in 1921.
Pearse, a stirring orator who often evoked the heroes of Irish history in his speeches, did not live to see an independent Ireland. He was arrested by the British, court-martialed, and shot in Dublin on May 3, 1916. The site of his execution has since become a national monument.
Born in Dublin, Pearse was attracted to the Irish cause from a young age. Influenced by such historical figures as Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763–1798), he joined an Irish nationalist group at age sixteen and was editing its newspaper by the time he was twenty-three. He was a leading proponent of the Gaelic language, Ireland’s ancient tongue, which had been replaced by English in most schools. In 1908, Pearse and his brother, Willie (1881–1916), founded an Irish-language school, Saint Enda’s School.
In 1913, Pearse was among the founders of the Irish Volunteers, a more militant nationalist group that would later become the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He rose through the ranks of the underground organization and was chosen as one of the leaders of the planned 1916 revolt.
The Rising began on the day after Easter. Rebels took control of the General Post Office in Dublin, and Pearse, standing on the building’s steps, proclaimed the island’s independence from the British. Pearse hoped that the Irish population would rally to support the rebellion, but after six days of violence, he was forced to surrender.
In total, sixteen leaders of the Rising—including Willie Pearse—were executed by the British. The deaths of the men caused an uproar and contributed to the victory of the radical proindependence Sinn Féin party in the 1918 elections. The next year, the IRA launched the Irish War of Independence, which ended with British recognition of Ireland in 1921.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- One of the leaders of the Easter Rising was Eamon de Valera (1882–1975), who narrowly escaped execution and later served as the president of Ireland from 1959 until 1973.
- The General Post Office building is still the main postal headquarters in Dublin. It was renovated, but some bullet marks were left in the facade as a memorial to the Rising.
- Ireland remained formally a part of the British Commonwealth until 1949, when it declared itself a republic.
