"The End of All Things Earthly" edited by David Bracken - 13th March 2016 (S06E17b) (SS102fm podcast excerpt)

We are joined by David Bracken who works as the Limerick Diocesan Archivist to talk about the publication of a new book about the faith profiles of the 1916 leaders. The title of the book comes from the last letter of John Mallin to his wife from Kilmainhan Gaol written the night before his execution, "My darling Wife pulse of my heart, this is the end of all things earthly; sentense of Death has been passed, and a quarter to four tomorrow the sentense will be carried out by shooting and so must Irishmen pay for trying to make Ireland a free nation, Gods will be done.....My heart strings are torne to pieces when I think of you and them of our manly James, happy go lucky John, Shy warm Una dadys Girl and oh little Joseph my little man my little man Wife dear Wife I cannot keep the tears back when I think of him he will rest in my arms no more, to think I have to leave you to battle through the world with them without my help, what will you do my own darling …Edited by Limerick Diocesan archivist David Bracken, ‘The End of All Things Earthly’ has contributions from 18 academics on this aspect of the leaders’ lives and also includes personal letters and testimonies of the leaders, as well as rarely seen photographs and transcripts. Commenting ahead of the book launch, Bishop Leahy said, “The question of how faith and armed rebellion can be compatible has exercised much conversation from the time of the rising to, indeed, the present day.  However, the book does not seek to adjudicate on this but, instead, merely give a sense of what faith meant to the Leaders.“The Rising Leaders clearly had varying degrees of faith.  But what is striking is the closeness with God in the final moments before execution, including for those with little Catholic faith prior to this.  It’s a piece of work we are very proud of and indebted to all involved, including our own David Bracken for his effort in pulling this together, and, of course, all contributors.”Featuring contributions from a selection of Irish academics and historians, the book comprises seventeen concise, yet richly detailed, essays that provide a fascinating insight into the faith profiles of the leaders of the Easter Rising.The essays trace pivotal movements: from the horrors witnessed by Roger Casement in colonial Africa and South America; to the radicalisation of Patrick Pearse, whose writing reflected his Catholic upbringing; to the quiet prison cells in the sober aftermath of the Rising, where the likes of Con Colbert and Joseph Plunkett found consolation in their faith. The personal letters and testimonies of the leaders contained in the book provide a window into the minds of these revolutionaries as they faced their deaths.Including rarely seen photographs and transcripts, The End of All Things Earthly, offers a poignant perspective on the events of 1916, and explores the spirituality that shaped those who gave their lives to Ireland’s independence. Contributors to the book include:Damien Burke, Assistant Archivist at the Irish Jesuit Archives.Bernie Deasy, Archivist at the Delaney Archive, which cares for the archival collections of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, the Patrician Brothers, Brigidine Sisters and Carlow College.Noelle Dowling, Archivist at Dublin Diocesan ArchivesRoddy Hegarty, Director of the Cardinal Tomán Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and ArchiveBrian Kirby, Archivist at the Irish Capuchin Provincial Archives.Bishop Brendan Leahy launched the new book in Dublin and his talk at the launch is available here.Text us at +353 874668950 or email at [email protected]