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143 [ETCHINGHAM, Sean -PRISONLETTER]
Threepageautograph lettersigned,onstandardprison letter form, fromJack(Sean)Etchingham inLewes
Prison, dated21.3.1917, to ‘MydearMartin’.Marked ‘Special’ (by censor). Interesting letter, referring to
thepurchaseofa library[theEtchinghamfamilywasassociatedwiththebooktrade],“IspoketoDeValera
re: the raremathematical books.Hewouldbedelighted tohave themkept for him”; also thedeathof an
old friend,Ryan. “KindlydirectCollins toassureMrs.Ryanofmydeepregret.”[presumably thereference
is toMichaelCollins, recently released, and at that timeSecretaryof theVolunteers’DependantsFund];
alsosomecommentson theprisonsystem,warnews, apoetrywritinggroup inprison,HarryBoland, etc.
SeanEtchinghamwas aCaptain in theWexfordVolunteers,which tookovermuchofNorthWexford in
1916. They agreed to surrender only after Etchingham received a direct order fromPearse at the endof
the fighting inDublin. In1921hewas appointedFisheriesMinister by the SecondDáil. Folds strength-
enedwith tape, otherwise verygood.
€300 - 400
144 PEARSE,Margaret [sisterofthePatriot]
A good ALS fromMargaret Pearse [sister of the Patriots] onmourning paper, 29 April 1917, from St.
Enda’s, toMrs. Gogan, askingher to come to see her for a chat, andmentioning aMass ‘for poorWillie
and some others of our poormen’ the following Friday. Three pages (single folded sheet), foldmarks, a
little torn at fold, blank rear page abit soiled.
MargaretPearse, sisterofPadraicandWillie, ranSt.Enda’s formanyyearsafter theirexecution. Shewas
later aFiannaFailTDandSenator.Mrs.Gogan isprobably thewifeofWilliamGogan, aDublinRepub-
lican, andmother ofRichard, later aFiannaFail TD,who served in theG.P.O.
€385 - 485
145 PEARSE,William.
Autographed Letter Signed fromWilliam Pearse, brother of Padraic, toMrs. Molloy, dated 15th July
1910. Sent from 27Great Brunswick Street (nowPearse Street) home of the family business and birth-
placeof bothbrothers. Twopageoctavo.
In this letterWilliePearsediscusses amonument commissionedbyMrs.Molloy: “I herebypropose and
agree to execute and fix complete for you at Glasnevin Cemetery, monument in limestone (carefully
selected), as and after that erectedbyme and selectedby you atGlasnevinCemetery, including kerbing
(with kneeler)… for the sum of seventy pounds stg. (£70-0-0). Price does not include foundations or
other cemetery fees. I further agree tohave same completedwithin sixmonths fromdate of order”. In a
postscript initialledbyWilliePearsehe states that themonument referred towas that ofO’Mulrennan.
William (Willie) JamesPearsewasbornonNovember15, 1881at 27GreatBrunswickStreet,Dublin.He
was the younger brother of PatrickPearse.William inheritedhis father’s artistic abilities andbecame a
sculptor.Hewas educated at theChristianBrothers’ School,WestlandRow, studied at theMetropolitan
School ofArt inDublinunderOliver Sheppardandalso studiedArt inParis.Whileattending theKens-
ingtonSchoolofArthegainednoticeforseveralofhisartworks.Someofhissculpturesweretobefoundin:
LimerickCathedral, St. Eunan’s, Letterkenny and severalDublin churches includingTerenure.Hiswell
known figureof “TheMaterDolorosa” inMortuaryChapel, St.Andrew’s,WestlandRowappears a trag-
ic andpropheticmasterpiece.Amemorial toFatherMurphy inWexford is a good exampleof hiswork.
€600 - 700
