William Pearse

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Willie Pearse
Born(1881-11-15)15 November 1881
Dublin, Ireland
Died4 May 1916(1916-05-04) (aged 34)
Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland
Cause of death
Execution by firing squad
AllegianceIrish Republic
Branch
Irish Volunteers
Service years
1913–1916
Rank
Captain
Conflicts
Easter Rising
Memorials

William James Pearse (Irish: Uilliam Seamus Mac Piarais; 15 November 1881 – 4 May 1916)[2] was an Irish republican executed for his part in the Easter Rising. He was a younger brother of Patrick Pearse, a leader of the rising.

Background

Willie Pearse was born in Dublin and throughout his life lived in the shadow of his brother to whom he was devoted and with whom he formed a particularly close relationship.[3]

Pearse inherited his father's artistic abilities and became a sculptor. He was educated at the Christian Brothers School, Westland Row. He studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin under Oliver Sheppard. He also studied art in Paris. While attending the Kensington School of Art in London[4] he gained notice for several of his artworks. Some of his sculptures are to be found in Limerick Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Eunan and St Columba, Letterkenny and several Dublin churches.[5] He was trained to take over his father's stonemason business, but gave it up to help run St. Enda's School which Patrick had founded in 1908. He was involved in the arts and theatre at St. Enda's, and aided the overall running of the school.

Easter Rising

Pearse followed his brother into the Irish Volunteers and the Republican movement. He took part in the Easter Rising in 1916, always staying by his brother's side at the General Post Office. Following the surrender he was court-martialled and sentenced to death. It is believed that he was only executed because of being Patrick's brother. However, he had signed some orders as "acting chief of staff" which may have exaggerated his role. And he had pleaded guilty at his court-martial, the only one of the executed to do so. Willie was executed on 4 May, the day after his brother.[6][7]

Commemoration

There are many more public commemorations of Patrick Pearse than of Willie. In 1966, Dublin's Westland Row railway station was renamed Pearse Station to honour both Willie and Patrick.[1] Pearse Street (previous Great Brunswick Street), in Dublin, were renamed in honour of both, having been their birthplace.[8] Willie Pearse Park in Crumlin, opened in 1949, is named after him.[9] While many streets and roads in Ireland bear the name Pearse; few name Willie, but there is a Pearse Brothers Park in Rathfarnham. The bridge over the Dodder river on the Rathfarnham Road, between Terenure and Rathfarnham is named after them and carries a plaque depicting the brothers in profile. Brothers Pearse Athletic Club, founded in Rathfarnham, is named after the two brothers.

A number of Gaelic Athletic Association clubs and playing fields are named after both Pearses, and at least one after Willie:

References

  1. "The 15 Irish railway stations named after the executed 1916 leaders". thejournal.ie. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  2. Piaras F. Mac Lochlainn, Last Words, The Stationery Office (Dublin), ISBN 0-7076-0101-0, pg.76
  3. Seán Farrell Moran, Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption, 1994
  4. "On This Day: William Pearse, Easter Rising rebel, was born". irishcentral.com. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  5. "Easter Rising – 1916". rootwebs.com. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  6. "The Executed William Pearse". National Library of Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  7. Murphy, William (October 2009). "Pearse, William ('Willie')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  8. Bennett 2005, p. 189.
  9. "Willie Pearse Park". dublincity.ie. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  • Ní Ghairbhí, Róisín, Willie Pearse, Dublin: O'Brien Press, 2015.
  • Bennett, Douglas (2005). The Encyclopaedia of Dublin. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-717-13684-1.