Patrick Pearse was not only the leader of the 1916 Easter Rising but also one of the main ideologues of physical-force nationalism in Ireland. For a long time, his ideas have either been dismissed or portrayed as dubious because of his association with the use of violence in Northern Ireland. However, the recent 'Peace Process' and the modernisation of Irish society have made it possible to now take a fresh look at this founding father of the Irish state. Based on a wealth of new material on his childhood and underground activities, this first full biography in more than thirty years provides an intimate and revealing account of Pearse's life, and of the development of his ideas on Irish culture, education, and politics. The integrated approach reveals how Pearse gave his own interpretation of ideas that were current in European society at the time, while Augusteijn also offers the first comprehensive analysis of his impact on Ireland after his death.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Preface Introduction Person Cultural Nationalist Educationalist Politician Revolutionary Legacy: The Failure in Triumph Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

Author Biography

JOOST AUGUSTEIJN lectures at Leiden University. He has previously held posts at Trinity College, Dublin and Queens University Belfast. He is author of From Public Defiance to Guerrilla Warfare. The experience of ordinary Volunteers in the Irish War of Independence 1916-1921 (Dublin 1996), and editor of several volumes, including The Irish Revolution, 1913-1923 (London 2002).