The 16 men who were executed in the aftermath of the Easter Rising included the seven leaders who sealed their fate by signing the Proclamation (Forógra na Poblachta). It was read by Pádraig Pearse outside Dublin’s General Post Office, on April 24, 1916. The names of the seven as they appear on the Proclamation are: Thomas J. Clarke (who was invited to be the first signatory … [Read more...] about Profiles in Courage: The Executed Leaders
1916
Sir Roger Casement:
Irish Nationalist & Humanitarian
By Rosemary Rogers, Contributor
Hanged by the British in 1916, he was deemed first among traitors to the Empire for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. Today he is honored as the “Father of Human Rights Activism.”
I saw that Roger CasementDid what he had to do.He died upon the gallowsBut that is nothing … [Read more...] about Sir Roger Casement:
Irish Nationalist & Humanitarian
Roger Casement: The Last Martyr
By Rosemary Rogers, Contributor
Hanged by the British in 1916 for working with Germany and Irish nationalists in planning the Easter Rising of 1916, Sir Roger Casement is remembered as the “father of twentieth-century human rights investigations.” Standing in the gallows of Britain’s Pentonville Prison, Casement was asked by the governor if he had any final words. He did, but only one: “Ireland.” The … [Read more...] about Roger Casement: The Last Martyr
Michael Collins: From the GPO to Béal na mBláth
By Dermot McEvoy, Contributor
Michael Collins was born into a farming family near Clonakilty in County Cork in 1890. In 1906 he passed a civil service exam and went to London to work in the British postal system, which included the banking and communications sections – an invaluable learning experience for the future Minister for Finance in the first Dáil. While in London, Collins joined the usual Irish … [Read more...] about Michael Collins: From the GPO to Béal na mBláth
Éamon de Valera: Man of Mystery
Éamon de Valera, the dominant political figure of Ireland’s 20th century, was an enigmatic figure to the end of his life. Éamon de Valera was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 1916 Easter Rising, but, under circumstances that are still a mystery, he escaped the firing squad and was instead shipped off to prison in England. Later that year, in July, the … [Read more...] about Éamon de Valera: Man of Mystery