Me Irish Culture

After being away on travels I have just managed to catch up with all the news in Ireland. The selling of the Padraig Pearse letter was of particularly interesting and thankfully it is another historical artifact that will remain in Ireland.

For those that don’t know, Padraig Pearse was executed on May 3, 1916, for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising, a rebellion against British rule in Ireland. Before his execution Pearse wrote his final requests from a cell in Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol. The letter was addressed to British Commander General Maxwell and requested that all his personal items be returned to his mother or sister. Items included money, a watch and poems.

The letter was to be placed under auction last Tuesday but the Irish State stepped in and made a buying arrangement. An unknown person purchased the letter for an undisclosed amount and donated the item to the National Museum of Ireland.

Another important artifact was the letter of surrender, signed by Padraig Pearse. This was sold on in May 2005 to an American buyer, much to the disappointment of many Irish historians.

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