Historians are appealing for people to come forward if they know the identity of any of the mourners in a photograph taken at the funeral of Irish republican Jeremiah O’Donovan.
The historic photograph has been published on glasnevintrust.ie, and shows dozens of people stood around the graveside of O’Donovan Rossa.
This was the scene of Easter Rising leader Padraig Pearse’s famous speech, in which he warned that despite his friend’s death, the Irish spirit would never be defeated.
“Life springs from death: and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! — they have left us our Fenian dead, and, while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.”
Extract from the speech made by Pádraig Pearse at the graveside of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa.
Below is an extract from The Fool by Padraic Pearse. Pearse wrote it after the death of his close friend, Rossa. He didn’t let anyone see it until he delivered it at Rossa’s funeral.
See the full poem here
The rousing speech stirred up republican feeling across the country, and led to the Easter Rising less than a year later.
Next year will be the 100th anniversary of O’Donovan Rossa’s death. Glasnevin Museum are planning a re-enactment of his funeral as part of their tributes, with an actor reading out Pearse’s speech.
There will be an exhibition of the life and work of O’Donovan Rossa, and museum officials want as much information as they can get about the man. That includes who the people were at his funeral. The photograph has been blown up digitally, and viewers can zoom in on the faces of all the people in the shot.
Anybody who believes a member of their family may have been at the O’Donovan Rossa’s graveside, are encouraged to take a closer look at the faces of the people in the photograph.
Visit glasnevintrust.ie to take a look at the picture, and if you are related to any of the mourners then email CDodd@glasnevintrust.ie.