Patrick Pearse was possibly the most famous of the Easter Rising leaders. It was Pearse who read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic on the steps of the General Post Office in Dublin.
He was a great speaker and is remembered for delivering a rousing speech at the graveside of Irish nationalist Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa in 1915.
Pearse was executed for his role in the Easter Rising along with his younger brother Willie, and they have both gone down in Irish history as heroes.
Nina Manners is a British writer who lives in Devon. She is a distant relative of Patrick and Willie Pearse.
As a child, she would often travel to Ireland and spend time with her ‘Aunt Maggie’, who was Patrick and William’s sister Margaret.
Nina kindly told us a little bit about the influence her relationship with the Pearse family has had on her.
“I knew about Patrick Pearse since childhood, I thought of him with admiration and pride, I admired his courage and self-sacrifice.
“I visited sites connected with him, I told my children about him, I became and have remained interested in Irish politics and I spent some years in Ireland.
“I was very pleased to see the 1916 commemoration. I didn’t attend it but am planning to visit St Enda’s and Kilmainham again soon.
“My main connection was with his sister Margaret, who I felt very close to. I felt and still feel sadness at so much suffering caused to her, her mother and sister by the execution of both brothers. They never recovered from their loss.
“I sometimes read reports/hear about documentaries which depict Margaret in an odd, unflattering light. But she was an extraordinary person – kind and loyal and loving.”
Did one of your relatives take part in the Easter Rising? If you would like to tell your story in our Easter Rising relatives section we would love to hear from you.
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