Chay Bowes

@BowesChay

One of my biggest influences has been and remains to be arguably, Irelands greatest Revolutionary leader, Padraig H Pearse, who led the IRA rebellion against the British in 1916. Pearse was more of a Warrior Poet than a Soldier, but his romantic idea of an independent and egalitarian Ireland has fascinated me since I was a young boy. I went to school in the modern incarnation of his “Scoil Eanna” or St Endas in the foot Hills of the Dublin mountains, our education was interspersed with tales of the revolution, music, songs and stories of the valiant outnumbered Irish battling the British to establish the nascent Irish Republic. Of course, the reality of a nationalist ideal is fraught with problematic realities. However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve realised the aluring purity of Pearses idea, it’s seduced me a little more and I’ve seen it’s relevance grow rather than wain, as our country becomes a beige reflection of a European and American ideal, rather than the independent, egalitarian nation state envisaged by its founding mothers and fathers. I think the most poignant and possibly naive representation of Pearses honesty and aspiration are found in his final letters to his mother. This was written as he learnt he was to be executed, alongside his entirely innocent brother Willie for their part in the “Rising” against British rule which would go on to define the seminal moment when an independent Irish Republic was born. Take a moment to read it, I think it’s truly remarkable. “My dear Mother, You will, I know, have been longing to hear from me. I do not know how much you have heard since the last note I sent you from the G.P.O. [2] On Friday evening, the Post Office was set on fire, and we had to abandon it. We dashed into Moore Street and remained in the houses in Moore St. on Saturday evening? We then found that we were surrounded by troops and that we had practically no food. [3] We decided in order to prevent further slaughter of the civilian population and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, to ask the General Commanding the British Forces to discuss terms. He replied that he would receive me only if I surrendered unconditionally and that I did. I was taken to the Headquarters of the British Command in Ireland, and there I wrote and signed an order to our men to lay down their arms. All this I did in accordance with the decision of our Provisional Government who were with us in Moore St. My own opinion was in favour of one more desperate sally before opening negotiations, but I yielded to the majority, and I think now the majority was right, as the sally would have resulted only in losing the lives of perhaps 50 or 100 of our men, and we should have had to surrender in the long run as we were without food. I was brought in here on Saturday evening and later all the men with us in Moore St. were brought here. Those in the other parts of the City have, I understand, been taken to other barracks and prisons. All here are safe and well. Willie and all the St. Enda’s boys are here. I have not seen them since Saturday, but I believe they are all well and that they are not now in any danger.[4] Our hope and belief is that the Government will spare the lives of all our followers, but we do not expect that they will spare the lives of the leaders. We are ready to die, and we shall die cheerfully and proudly. Personally I do not hope or even desire to live, but I do hope and desire and believe that the lives of all our followers will be saved including the lives dear to you and me (my own excepted) and this will be a great consolation to me when dying. You must not grieve for all this. We have preserved Ireland’s honour and our own. Our deeds of last week are the most splendid in Ireland’s history. People will say hard things about us now, but we shall be remembered by posterity and blessed by unborn generations. You, too, will be blessed because you were my mother”

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