Robert Emmet: A Life

by Patrick M. Geoghegan

Robert Emmet (1778-1803) was one of the most romantic of all Irish revolutionaries. He was the youngest son of Ireland's state physician and was educated privately at Trinity College Dublin. Like many young people in the early 1790s, he was caught up in the fervor of the French Revolution. In the revolutionary year of 1798, when three different insurrections broke out in Ireland, he was expelled from Trinity College, thus ending his prospects of a professional career. He went to the Continent where he met both Napoleon and Talleyrand and returned to Dublin where he organized and led the doomed insurrection of May 1803. No foreign help came. There were probably spies in the camp, and Emmet's rising was quickly crushed. He was tried and executed, but not before making a speech from the dock which has resonated through subsequent Irish history. Romantic, impulsive and doomed: Emmet is one of the tragic heroes of the Irish past. "Geoghegan traces the details of his military preparations which involved much study, and then takes us through their rapid unraveling. The description of Emmet's jailing, trial and execution is consistently compelling. The speech, its various reported versions and its long posterity as an inspiring document are also clearly chronicled."-Books Ireland.

Genres: History, Ireland, Biography

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Patrick M. Geoghegan is a lecturer in the Department of History at Trinity College Dublin.

Reviews

[Mathieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overall good biography of the leader of the rising of 1803. It is well-researched and well-written.

However, Geoghegan focuses too much on the character of Emmet, and, in some way, is more concerned about the polemics and debates that had been raised in 1803 and less about the social, cultural and political implications of the rising. In that sense, this book was a disappointment. For instance, while he mentions the Despard connection though the character of Dowdall, Geoghegan doesn't really explore this aspect, nor the claim from Emmet that characters of a much higher stading than him were behind the rising.

To comment on his own question: was Emmet a deluded fool or a visionary? From reading this book, I would say both. Clearly, he was very right on many levels (most notably the unreliability of Bonaparte's France) but also very amateur in his approach to effecting a revolution, especially regarding the mobilisation of the popular classes.

I have yet to read Ruan O'Donnell's own take on 1803, but for the moment the history of the rising has yet to be written.

[Jonathan Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, clear and accessible. Two issues, however: firstly, Geoghegan focuses so much on Robert Emmet's character, that we don't get a fuller treatment of the wider social and historical context. Some more focus on 1798, the Act of Union and what life was like in late 18th and early 19th century Ireland would have better illuminated the events of the 23rd of July. While Emmet comes across as seriously impressive, amiable and inspirational, the constant focus on his personality, relations and even college debating career seem to distract from the wider picture.

Secondly, the structure of the book didn't make much sense to me and resulted in some unnecessary repetition. For example, by beginning at the end (a not uncommon or unreasonable way to structure the narrative), Geoghegan ends up quoting moments of the trial for a second time in the final chapter. Geoghegan also repeatedly mentions that Emmet's aim was never to invite the French into Ireland to become our new rulers. As this was an important feature of the trial, it merits particular mention and treatment, but was repeated ad nauseam. There were other examples of unnecessary repetition - for example the description of Emmet's green uniform with epaulettes. These repetitions distract and bore the reader, which is a shame, as the story itself is far from boring.

Still though, these are relatively minor failings. Geoghegan has a great eye for detail, and these details constantly help to pick up the pace and entertain. For example, the moment when Leonard McNally kisses Emmet on the forehead subtly evokes the story of Judas, further highlighting the Christ-like pathos of the story.

I would recommend this book to those who want to know more about Robert Emmet - however if you want a more detailed picture of post-1798 Ireland, perhaps you are better off looking elsewhere (to be fair, this is clearly advertised as a biography of Emmet, but still, a wider picture would have been nice). Geoghegan's later portrait of Daniel O'Connell is a tighter and faster biography. All round, this made for enjoyable and instructive reading.