Boy Republic

Patrick Pearse and Radical Education

Patrick Pearse, teacher, poet, and one of the executed leaders of the 1916 Rising, has long been a central figure in Irish history. The book provides a radically new interpretation of Patrick Pearse's work in education, and examines how his work as a teacher became a potent political device in preindependent Ireland. The book provides a complete account of Pearse's educational work at St. Enda's school, Dublin where a number of insurgents such as William Pearse, Thomas McDonagh, and Con Colbert taught. The author draws upon the recollections of past students, employees, descendants of those who worked with Pearse, founders of schools inspired by his work—including the descendants of Thomas McSweeny and Louis Gavan Duffy—and a vast array or primary source material to provide a comprehensive account of life at St. Enda's and the place of education within the "Irish-Ireland" movement and the struggle for independence.