Joseph Plunkett: 16Lives

16 Lives

by Honor O. Brolchain

Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887-1916) from Dublin was one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, the designer of the military plan and the youngest signatory of the Proclamation. A recognised poet, he was already dying of TB when, aged 28, he married Grace Gifford in Kilmainham Gaol, just hours before he was exectuted on May 4th, 1916.

This timely biography, written in an entertaining, educational and assessible style and including the latest archival evidence, is an accurate and well-researched portrayal of the man and the uprising.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Irish Literature, Biography

435 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2012

About the author

Honor Ó Brolcháin is a grand-niece of Joseph Plunkett and has access to the family archives and memorabilia. She is also the author of All In The Blood: A Memoir of Geraldine Plunkett Dillon.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joseph Plunkett's place in the history of Ireland is undisputed. A key member of the Irish Volunteers recruited by the secret Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, he represented the IRB in the German arms negotiations, devised the military strategy of the Rising, transformed his home into its planning center (with the able assistance of Michael Collins), and—with six other revolutionary leaders—signed the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. In addition to his central role in 1916, he is a remarkably romantic figure: a published poet—the John Keats of this failed revolution—he was dying of tuberculosis at the very moment he fought for his country's freedom, and was granted permission to marry his fiancée Grace Gifford, in the chapel of Kilmainham jail, seven hours before his execution by firing squad.

It is a pity, then, that Honor O. Brolchain's book isn't better than it is.

I am not saying it is without value. In fact, I enjoyed reading much of it. Brolchain has a brisk style, a good eye for detail, and the first seventy-five of its four hundred pages—the portion which deals with Plunkett's childhood and early youth—are both informative and amusing. Particularly powerful is her portrait of Plunkett's mother Josephine: miserly, verbally and physically abusive, and yet intellectually supportive of her son's artistic and scientific enthusiasms.

I believe the problem with Brolchain's book stems from two factors: 1) she is a Plunkett, with a fierce attachment to every fact of her family's history, and 2) she is the custodian of the extensive archive of her grandmother Geraldine—Joseph's sister—and wishes to share every tangentially relevant portion of it with the general reader. She quotes at length from Joseph's poetry—mediocre at best—even when it has no discernible relevance to his life, and prints what seems to be the entire unedited text of his journal, a journal which is little more than lists of hotels where he stayed, galleries he visited, paintings he saw, operas he heard, etc. Brolchain's failure to trim her archival treasure trove makes heavy going for the reader: the two hundred pages on J. Plunkett's early manhood should have been one hundred pages instead.

Once J. Plunkett begins negotiations with the Germans, the book gets better, and the last hundred pages or so are informative and moving. But by then excessive love for family and family archives has done its damage.

My advice: skim through half the book, Chapters 4 through 11 (pages 75–254), skipping most of the poetry and the journal. I think you will enjoy the rest.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing biography of the life of Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising for Irish freedom. As one of the 6 signatories of the proclamation of freedom, he was executed at the age of 28 within days of the rebellion failure. The night before being shot by firing squad, his fiancee Grace Gifford gained permission to marry him in the Kilmainham Jail. As an educated member of the Catholic Irish aristocracy, Joseph was a poet, a magazine editor, and finally a soldier. Becoming a member of a group determined to bring back the Gaelic language and Irish Celtic culture led him to his revolutionary ideas. This story is told through his journal, archival documents, family memoirs and written by a grand niece. No fictional book could contain any more interesting facts or ideas than did this man's life. How he accomplished all that he did is incredible, especially since he was plagued with ill health most of his life. Recognized now as a true Irish hero and martyr for Irish freedom, I can't help but admire his bravery, fortitude, and character, wondering what would have happened if he had lived. I will read more books in the 16 Lives series to find out about these heroes who lost their lives too early.

[Éamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

you can tell i am running out of books to read and also money to buy books :( butttttt.. i really suprisingly enjoyed this! there was a lot i didnt know about JMP, such as he lived near me for a time and went to sunday mass in the same church that i did. his poetry was also breath taking. his ability to see beauty in ordinary things reawakened some awe wihtin in. and also he was so much of the brains of the 1916 rising. the fact that he was so so sick at the end, very brave

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice account of Joe Plunkett, I enjoyed this a lot with lots of information and background to his family, health and travels. The book also includes lots of his poetry. A huge figure in Irish history following the 1916 Rising. This book packages his life very well. 4.5 Stars.

[Differengenera · Rating 2 out of 5]

would have been hugely improved by a significant reduction in length. long primary documents - articles, poetry, diary entries - are reproduced in full here and compose > 50% of the book

[Johanna Cleere · Rating 4 out of 5]

he surrendered to the british this day 108 years ago 🙁