St. Enda's Park () is a mid-size public park in

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside (Dublin), southside suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in County Dublin. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16, 16. It is between the Lo ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The park, which is approximately in size, contains the

Pearse Museum The Pearse Museum () is dedicated to the memory of Patrick Pearse and his brother, William. Patrick Pearse was an educationalist and nationalist who was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising. The museum is situated in St. Enda's Park in the ...

and a café. It is held by the Irish state, and managed by the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...

History

St. Enda's was previously a private residence, and then a school. The property began as The Hermitage, the home of Dublin dentist Edward Hudson. The main house was built in 1760. The property was taken over by

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...

, later one of the leaders of the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

of 1916, and he ran a school there,

St. Enda's School St. Enda's School () was an Irish language secondary established in 1908 by Irish nationalist Patrick Pearse. Originally Pearse's school was established in 1908 at Cullenswood House, Ranelagh before moving to the Hermitage in Rathfarnham in 19 ...

(or ''

Scoil Éanna St. Enda's School () was an Irish language secondary established in 1908 by Irish nationalist Patrick Pearse. Originally Pearse's school was established in 1908 at Cullenswood House, Ranelagh before moving to the Hermitage in Rathfarnham in 19 ...

'' in Irish). Pearse, who was a teacher, bought the building in 1910 as his school in

Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; , ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of Dublin 6. Ranelagh was originally a village called Cullenswood. It has a history of conflict, including the at ...

was getting too small. Pearse considered the site "ideal" as his curriculum had a heavy emphasis on nature. In the school, his brother,

Willie Pearse William James Pearse (; 15 November 1881 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish republican executed for his part in the Easter Rising. He was a younger brother of Patrick Pearse, a leader of the rising. Background Willie Pearse was born in Dublin and th ...

, taught art and his sister Mary taught Irish. The Irish poets,

Joseph Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett ( Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish republican, poet and journalist. As a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, he was one of the seven signatories to the Proclamation of the I ...

and

Thomas MacDonagh Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclama ...

also taught at the school. Both were executed after the 1916 Rising, as were 15 former pupils of the school. Leading up to the 1916 rising, the basement of the school was used as a bomb factory by

Desmond Ryan Desmond Ryan (1893–1964) was an Irish writer, historian, and in his earlier life a revolutionary in Sinn Féin. Life Ryan was born in London, on 27 August 1893, son of the Templemore, County Tipperary-born London journalist William Patrick R ...

and Liam Bulfin, both

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

members. On

Easter Monday Easter Monday is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of Easter; in Eastern Christianity it marks the second day of Br ...

, 1916, Padraig Pearse left the school for the last time and made the 5-mile march to the GPO.

British forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping ef ...

occupied the Hermitage after the Rising until 1919, when the school was opened once more by

Margaret Pearse Margaret Pearse (; 12 February 1857 – 22 April 1932) was an Irish politician. She was the mother of Patrick Pearse and Willie Pearse, who were both executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. She was later elected to Dáil Éireann. Early life Ma ...

and her daughter

Margaret Mary Pearse Margaret Mary Pearse (4 August 1878 – 7 November 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and teacher. She was the sister of Patrick Pearse, Patrick and Willie Pearse, two of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Early life Margaret Mary ...

. The school closed its doors in 1935 due to a lack of support. When Margaret Pearse died in 1932, she wished that the building would be given over to the state after the lifetime of her daughter, Margaret Mary. She made only two conditions, that the house would be open throughout the year (even on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

) and that entry would be free of charge for the public.

Pearse Museum

The Hermitage is now the

dedicated to the memory of Patrick Pearse, the Pearse family, and their school, and is the museum and park are open to the public all year round. There are a number of 18th and 19th century

follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...

and garden buildings within the park.

Events

Between May and August, the park is open between 9am and 9pm. Every Sunday from June to August, there is music entertainment in the courtyard beside the Pearse Building.

References

{{coord, 53.284079, N, 6.282681, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Rathfarnham Parks in South Dublin (county) Pearse family

History

Pearse Museum

Events

Further reading

References