Thomas James Clarke

Thomas Clarke

Thomas James Clarke ( Irish Tomás Séamus Ó Cléirigh , born March 11, 1858 Isle of Wight , † May 3, 1916 in Dublin ) was an Irish revolutionary and one of the main organizers of the Easter Rising of 1916.

Irish Republican Brotherhood

Clarke was born in 1858 on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. His family moved to Dungannon , County Tyrone shortly after he was born . At the age of 18 he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). In 1883 he was sent to London with other members of the IRB to blow up London Bridge . Clarke was arrested and spent the next 15 years in Pentonville Prison. After his release in 1901, he married Kathleen Daly , 21 years his junior , whose uncle John he had met in prison. Together with his wife he emigrated to America, where he worked for the organization Clan na Gael under the direction of John Devoy . In 1907 he returned to Ireland and opened a tobacco shop in Dublin. There he got involved again in the IRB, which had just renewed itself under the leadership of young members such as Bulmer Hobson and Denis McCullough . Hobson became his greatest patron along with Seán Mac Diarmada . Clarke himself stayed in the background.

The Irish Volunteers

The founding of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 aroused great interest at Clarke, but he did not initially work for the volunteers because he feared that, as a well-known Irish nationalist, he could discredit the organization. But since people like Mac Diarmada, Hobson, Éamonn Ceannt and other IRB members played an important role in the volunteers, it was clear that the IRB would take control of the organization. When John Redmond , the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party , called for equal control of volunteers for his party, this was rejected by most of the hardliners. In the end, Redmond's request was accepted, not least thanks to Hobson's advocacy. Clarke viewed this behavior as treason and never forgave him for it.

Planning the uprising

After the falling out between Clarke and Hobson, Mac Diarmada and Clarke became almost inseparable. The two became de facto leaders of the IRB as secretaries and treasurers, although James Deakin and later McCullough nominally headed the organization. In 1915, Clarke and Mac Diarmada formed the IRB Military Committee to plan the eventual Easter Rising. Other members were Patrick Pearse , Ceannt and Joseph Plunkett . After signing an agreement with James Connolly and his Irish Citizen Army in January 1916 , he was accepted into the committee. In April 1916, shortly before the uprising, Thomas MacDonagh also became a member. These were the seven men who signed the Easter Proclamation . Clarke was the first to sign. Actually, Clarke should also be named president and commander in chief. Since he refused these honors, Pearse took on this role. He was better known than Clarke and was respected across the country.

The Easter Rising

Clarke spent the week of the Easter Rising at the insurgent headquarters in the General Post Office . After the surrender on April 29, 1916, Clarke was taken to Kilmainham Prison . There he was executed on May 3rd at the age of 59.

literature

• Kathleen Clarke: My Fight For Ireland's Freedom
• FX Martin (ed.): Leaders and Men of the Easter Rising , Dublin 1916
• Max Caulfield: The Easter Rebellion , Dublin 1916
• Robert Kee: The Green Flag
• FSL Lyons: Ireland Since the Famine