WE NEVER FORGET: Irish Rebels Executed at Kilmainham Gaol Before Dawn, May 3, 1916


You cannot conquer Ireland;
you cannot extinguish the Irish passion for freedom.
― Pádraig Pearse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WE NEVER FORGET

Thomas MacDonagh
1878-1916
Pádraig Pearse
1879-1916
Thomas James Clarke
1857-1916
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kilmainham Gaol, Before Dawn, May 3, 1916

A British soldier who took part in the executions of Thomas MacDonagh, Pádraig Pearse, and Tom Clarke recorded the grim proceedings in his journal:

At 3.45 the first rebel MacDonoghue was marched in blindfolded, and the firing party placed 10 paces distant. Death was instantaneous. The second, P.H. Pierce whistled as he came out of the cell...The same applied to him. The third, J.H. Clarke, an old man, was not quite so fortunate, requiring a bullet from the officer to complete the ghastly business.

~~~~~~~~~~

Pádraig Pearse
-----

Irish Rebels, Patrick Henry Pearse, 1879-1916.png

Pádraig Pearse, also known as Patrick, was President of the Irish Republic which was declared Easter Monday on the steps of the General Post Office in Dublin. He signed the Proclamation of Independence as P. H. Pearse, and according to some, was its author. He was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers and Commander in Chief of the Irish forces.

Pearse bids his mother good-bye:

Irish Rebels, Patrick Pearse to his mother, May 3, 1916.png

The Poem by Patrick Pearse for his mother:

Dear Mary, thou who saw thy first-born Son
Go forth to die amidst the scorn of men,
Receive my first-born son into thy arms
Who also goeth forth to die for men;
And keep him by thee till I come to him.
Dear Mary, I have shared thy sorrows,
And soon shall share thy joys.

-P. H. P.
~~~~~~~~~~


Thomas James Clarke
-----

Irish Rebel Thomas J Clarke, 1857-1916 .png

Irish Rebels of 1916, Kathleen Daly Clarke.png

Thomas Clarke was the elder among the Irish Rebels, and he was given the honor of placing his signature as the first on the Proclamation of Independence. He was the only American citizen among the executed Irish Rebels, having been naturalized in Brooklyn during his years spent living in America.

While living in New York, he met Kathleen Daly and they were married and lived there together for seven years. After they returned to Dublin they opened a tobacconist shop, and it was that shop that became a meeting place for planing the Easter Rising.

Message to the Irish People:

Just after midnight in the early hours of Wednesday May 3rd, Kathleen was taken from her own prison cell and allowed a brief supervised visit with Thomas. She was pregnant with their fourth child, but did not tell him. Through Kathleen, Thomas was able to send out a farewell message to the Irish people:

I and my fellow signatories believe we have struck the first successful blow for Irish freedom. The next blow, which we have no doubt Ireland will strike, will win through.

In this belief, we die happy.

Thomas J Clarke. Kilmainham Jail, 3rd May 1916.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas MacDonagh
-----

Irish Rebels, Thomas MacDonagh, 1878-1916.png

Thomas MacDonagh fought at Jacobs Biscuit Factory during the Easter Rising and was the commandant in charge there. He was one of the seven who signed the Proclamation of Independence and the first of the Irish Rebels to be executed. He was a teacher, an author and a poet.

A few hours before his execution, he wrote the following letter to his wife, Muriel Gifford MacDonagh:

Irish Rebels of 1916, Letter of Thomas MacDonagh to wife, 1.png
Irish Rebels of 1916, Letter of Thomas MacDonagh to wife, 2.png
~~~~~~~~~~

SOURCES

"Patrick Pearse whistled on way to his execution" by James O'Shea
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/Patrick-Pearse-whistled-on-his...

"A guide to the historical figures and moments of the 1916 Easter Rising" by Dermot McEvoy
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/An-guide-to-the-historical-fig...

The Executed Leaders of the 1916 Rising
http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/1916_Commemoratio...

History of the Sinn Fein Movement and
the Irish Rebellion of 1916

-by Francis P Jones
NY, 1917
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=1ZpnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
Chapter LXII. The Blood-Lust of the English
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=1ZpnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...

The 1916 Easter Rising Dublin Ireland, Tom Clarke
http://hubpages.com/education/1916-Easter-Rising-Tom-Clarke-executed-Arb...

IMAGES

Patrick Henry Pearse, 1879-1916, Irish Rebel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Pearse
Irish Rebels, Patrick Pearse to his mother, May 3, 1916
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=1ZpnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
Irish Rebels, Thomas J Clarke, 1857-1916
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clarke_(Irish_republican)
Irish Rebels of 1916, Kathleen Daly Clark
http://hubpages.com/education/1916-Easter-Rising-Tom-Clarke-executed-Arb...
Irish Rebels, Thomas MacDonagh, 1878-1916
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_MacDonagh
Irish Rebels of 1916, Letter of Thomas MacDonagh to wife, 1
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=1ZpnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
Irish Rebels of 1916, Letter of Thomas MacDonagh to wife, 2
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=1ZpnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...

See also:

Note: MacDonagh & Pearse were both poets. A sampling of some of their poetry can be found here:
https://archive.org/stream/poemsofirishrevo00coluuoft#page/n5/mode/2up

C99 Tag: Easter Rising of 1916
http://caucus99percent.com/tags/easter-rising-1916

C99 Tag: Irish Rebels of 1916
http://caucus99percent.com/tags/irish-rebels-1916

Thanks to daithiaria!
"1916 courts martial and executions: Sound reasons to be wary of ‘official’ records" -by Sean Enright
http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/1916-courts-martial-and-execu...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kathleen Clarke on last visit with Thomas
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPx-1OCwHvs width:500 height:315]

Song for Patrick Pearce
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DthCywhpkdw width:500 height:315]

Song for Thomas MacDonagh
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd7egIqQ4wQ width:500 height:315]

Song for Thomas Clarke
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgepM1xhUI width:500 height:315]

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Gerrit's picture

the HJ. Good work in keeping their memory alive, JaeRay.

"I return the darlings' photographs." That will stay with me, I think.

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Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.

JayRaye's picture

because it was front page news for days and days in the US. And US labor and Socialist movements eventually became involved, esp on behalf of James Connolly, as we shall see (stay tuned.)

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

Pariah Dog's picture

Many people likely think - Old story, a hundred years ago, not relevant to today. But this is a story more relevant than it appears at first blush.

The Easter Rising certainly wasn't the first time Ireland's people revolted. These men and women wanted freedom from an elite ruling class that treated them like impediments to their own greed. Sound like anyone we know?

Collins.jpg

A young Michael Collins in prison in England for his part in the Easter Rising. Michael is pictured 5th from the right with other internees at Stafford Jail.

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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons - For thou art crunchy and good with ketchup

Pariah Dog's picture

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JayRaye's picture

Luckily I don't write the Hellraisers Journal nor We Never Forget for the recs.

Here's hoping that somewhere a young person might be inspired by this story. I was in my 30s when I found "Labor's Untold Story." I was then a union member and had been a Socialist since age 19 and yet had never heard of the Ludlow Massacre! I made two trips out to the Ludlow Monument, and labor history became my passion and that passion has only grown stronger with time.

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

Pariah Dog's picture

was a staunch union man and President of his Bricklayers Masons and Plasterers local for several years.

He was born in 1914 to that Grandfather I spoke of yesterday. So, not only did he likely hear stories of the abuses in his father's native land, he started coming of age right when the Great Depression hit. I get my political knowledge and beliefs from him.

I too hope young people will learn the truth about the labor movement and why it was, and still is, needed for a free society. The greed of the gilded class knows no bounds and they will only treat others with courtesy when they're made to.

Christy Moore.jpg

Christy Moore being searched by "Special Branch" in the 1980s

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JayRaye's picture

great stories to share at C99.

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

Pariah Dog's picture

Thanks again for these... what do we call them here? Essays?

You're giving rise to some treasured old memories.

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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons - For thou art crunchy and good with ketchup

Pariah Dog's picture

Joseph Plunkett was executed 100 years ago today. Hours before his execution, Plunkett married his sweetheart Grace Gifford in Kilmainham Jail.

Plunkett.jpg

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JayRaye's picture

Joseph Mary Plunkett will be honored tomorrow along with the others who were murdered by the British on May 4th. And John MacBride who went to his death on May 5th.

Grace Gifford was the sister of Muriel Gifford MacDonagh.

Also shot on May 4th was Edward Daly, the brother of Kathleen Clarke.

And William Pearse, brother of Patrick Pearse, so their mother's heart was truly shattered.

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

gendjinn's picture

Decisively defeated. All of its leaders and combatants killed or captured.

The papers of the day and the loudest of public opinion condemning the rebels and demanding death for the ringleaders.

Which was duly delivered.

And then they won. Within 7 years their comrades defeated the world's greatest empire, at the zenith of its power.

A loss isn't a defeat. In fact, when you look at history, it very often is the galvanizing event that irrevocably alters the course of history.

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JayRaye's picture

Mother Jones said something like that, lose and lose until you win. Can't find the exact quote right now, but that was the gist of it.

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

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"Don't believe everything you read online." -- Epicurus (Greek philosopher, 341–270 BCE)

JayRaye's picture

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons