Boy Republic

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 Pearses work in education, and examines how his work as a teacher became a potent political device in pre-independent Ireland. The book provides a complete account of Pearses educational work at St. Endas 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-pupils, 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. Endas and the place of education within the Irish-Ireland movement and the struggle for independence.