PEARSE, P. H.  Original memorial card. Pray for the Eternal Repose of the Souls of General P. H. Pearse and The Officers and Men of the Irish Republican Army… 1916.

Dublin: n.p., c.1916–1920. Approx. 95 × 60mm, printed in black within a ruled border. Recto with devotional text commemorating Patrick Pearse and the fallen of the 1916 Rising; verso with a poem by Thomas MacDonagh (“Generous and brave, farewell!”), one of the executed leaders. In very fine condition.

A scarce and poignant piece of immediate post-Rising commemorative ephemera, reflecting early popular memorialisation of the executed leaders of Easter Week. Such cards were typically produced for private devotion or distribution at commemorative masses, and survival is uncommon due to their ephemeral nature. The inclusion of MacDonagh’s verse—himself executed in May 1916—deepens the historical resonance of the piece.

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