Padraic Pearse (1879–1916) Last Lines—1916 LINKS No links found. BIOGRAPHY Padraic Pearse (1879–1916) Pearse, the son of an Irish mother and an English father, was born in Dublin and educated at the Christian Brothers' School. After graduating from the Royal University, he became a barrister. But he was an enthusiastic student of the Irish language and became a writer, writing in both English and Gaelic. Pearse envisioned a free Gaelic Ireland, and to encourage that end through education, he founded St. Enda's College, a school for boys. After visiting the United States, he joined the Irish Volunteers and later was commander-in-chief of the Irish rebel forces in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. Perceiving that the rebels' situation was hopeless, he ordered his troops to surrender to the British. He was arrested along with several other leaders (including his brother Willie) and shot by a firing squad on May 3, 1916.