Patrick Pearse: The Triumph of Failure

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.

Review :
Ruth Dudley Edwards has reissued her classic biography of Patrick Pearse; this riveting and well-written biography of the 1916 leader has stood the test of time and provides a fascinating reconstruction of the life and times of Pearse and his comrades.Unorthodox to the point of virtue, the reader will never think of Pearse or 1916 in quite the same way again; it is required reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century Irish history and politics.' Tom Garvin 'Miss Edwards has worked wonders in restoring the personality ... This splendidly written book transforms the study of Pearse by elevating it to a proper historical plane. Miss Edwards has succeeded in the daunting task of simultaneously rendering a signal service to Irish scholarship, to historical studies, and to the memory of Patrick Pearse.' Professor Joseph Lee 'This is a marvellous biography. Miss Edwards has taken Pearse down from his pedestal as a plaster saint and shown him as a human being. In the hands of his latest biographer, he emerges as one of the remarkable figures in the history of the 20th Century.' Ulick O'Connor 'There are few worthwhile biographies for [twentieth century Irish history], one glowing exception being R. Dudley Edwards's Patrick Pearse: The Triumph of Failure, which illuminates far more than its subject.' Roy Foster