Patrick Pearse’s Cottage(Teach An Phiarsaigh in Irish Gaelic) is a small cottage that once belonged to Patrick Pearse (1879-1916), one of the main leaders of the nationalist cause from 1900 to 1916. This cottage overlooks the splendors of Connemara, offering breathtaking views of the region’s lakes and mountains.
Patrick Pearse – Public domain
This small cottage once served as Patrick Pearse’s summer residence. He took advantage of the calm and beauty of the surrounding countryside to recharge his batteries away from the city.
He also used the cottage to accommodate pupils from St Enda’s, the Dublin school where he taught. He taught them literature every day, and took them to the most beautiful parts of the region every afternoon, surveying the Twelves Bens mountains, fishing in Connemara’s prolific lakes, and getting to know the local people.
The cottage was abandoned in 1916, however, when Pearse was executed at Kilmainham Gaol for his part in the Easter Rising.
It was only a few years later, during the Irish War of Independence, that the cottage was burnt down. It was not rebuilt until a decade later, and is now used as an exhibition space.
The Cottage is first and foremost worth a visit for its incredible panoramic view of the Twelve Bens, a chain of 12 mountains, each more imposing than the last. On a clear day, the view is breathtaking, and worth immortalizing with a camera. A little lower down, you’ll also discover a host of lakes and rivers winding their way through the valley.
As for the cottage, it has been renovated to host an exhibition on Patrick Pearse and his fight for the creation of an autonomous Republic of Ireland. The exhibition is quite interesting for anyone interested in Irish history. Photos and written records will transport you back to the early 20th century, to discover the unquestionable patriotism of this leader who paid for his fight with his life.
As for the cottage’s overall appearance, this is a typical example of what was built at the time. The roof is thatched and changed every 10 years to combat damp. As for the walls, they’re made of lime, hence the bright white color.
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