Patrick Pearse

Padraic Pearse, teacher, writer, and Irish nationalist leader, was born Patrick Henry Pearse in 1879 in Dublin, his father being an English stonemason, originally from Devon. Pearse joined the Gaelic League in 1895, soon becoming one of its leaders. He taught the Irish language, and wrote stories and poems in both Irish and English, his best-known English poem being "The Wayfarer". In 1908, Pearse founded his own school, St Enda's, through which he did much to preserve native culture, encouraging the use of the language and participation in traditional Irish sports, and taking the boys on trips to the west of Ireland. In 1915 he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood and was the architect of the new constitution proclaimed by the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916. Along with most of the other leaders, he surrendered when it became apparent that victory was impossible, and was court-martialled and executed by firing squad.