The funeral of O’Donovan Rossa was a milestone in Irish history and its impact on the mood and motivations of those in attendance cannot be underestimated.
This was August 1915, and we see from the photographic evidence that a tricolour was draped across his coffin as he lay in state at City Hall.
The selection of Pádraig Mac Piarais (Patrick Pearse) was Clarke’s, having groomed him for the task at Bodenstown in 1913. His oration at the graveside was a masterpiece which invoked the passions of the past and laid bare the task ahead.