Padraig Pearse and why he has been an attractive subject for biographers
Uploaded by Kerrytom on Aug 10, 2013
Introduction Padraig Pearse has been an attractive subject for many biographers for numerous reasons.
The most important of these is the fact that there have been many different and conflicting viewpoints on his life. Opinion on the man has changed dramatically in the last thirty years or so, as more objective studies have been done on his life. For instance, there have been questions raised on topics such as his position on the righteousness of the rebellion, the views he held on violence and bloodshed and his overall consistency in what he said and done.
Secondly Pearse was an important figure in the role of educationalist and a central figure in the revival of Irish culture and language.
Finally, Pearse also had a very complex personality. His actions and his words were often contradictory, which gave later biographers, such as Ruth Dudley Edwards and Sean Farrell Moran great scope to challenge the myth, as they saw it, of Padraig Pearse.
Main Body
As stated above there have been many different and conflicting views on Pearse’s life. Up until the nineteen sixties his character was revered in biographies and writings. This can be attributed to a few factors.
Firstly, Irish biographers were mostly sympathetic towards republican subjects. Perhaps a notion existed where they thought anything other than a glowing, heroic account of republican revolutionaries, would not be well received by the public at large. Moreover it is plausible...