Tom Clarke

Tom Clarke was always a rebel at heart. He was born in 1858 on the Isle of Wight, which is off the south coast of England; however, both of his parents were Irish, and he was seemingly a very progressive man who was against the English establishment. At 20 years old, younger than many students on this trip, Clarke joined the Irish republican Brotherhood. The joining of this group started him down the path of rebellion. Not much later, Clarke fled to the United States after a dispute with the Royal Irish Constabulary.

Still as a young man in 1883, Clarke was sent to London on a dynamiting mission. It is believed that Clarke’s ultimate goal was to blow up the London Bridge; however, he was betrayed by an informer and was given a life sentence. Luckily for Clarke and the Irish people, he was released from the horrible conditions of the English prison after serving 15 years. As a “changed man,” he went back to the United States. It seems that he attempted to settle down here; he married Kathleen Daly and had 3 sons. In 1905, Clarke even became a citizen of the United States.

The family moved back to Dublin a couple of years later, and Clarke got word of the Irish Volunteers. He was a huge supporter of the idea; however, he did not join immediately because he did not want to discredit the group with his criminal background. As he heard more and more radical ideas, he wanted to join the rebellion. Clarke and MacDermott established the Military Committee in 1915 which eventually became the backbone for the Easter Rising.

In the year leading up to the Easter Rising, Clarke and MacDermott planned a majority of the action. Clarke was more of a big picture man when it came to the planning, and he left most of the details up to MacDermott. Clarke was the oldest leader of the rebellion, and even though he had no official military ranking, he was very highly respected and treated as a commander. Because of his seniority and the respect that he had earned, he was the first signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

Clarke was stationed at headquarters in the General Post Office during the rising. Clarke was such a rebel and a fighter that even though the rebels were overwhelmed by the British soldiers, he voted against surrendering. He was outvoted, and he was the second leader executed by the firing squad on May 3. He was 58 years old at this time. All of his comrades died instantly during their execution, but as if the fight in Clarke refused to die, he required an additional bullet from the officer. Without Clarke’s planning and willingness to fight, it is unlikely that the Easter Rising would have taken place at all.