Letter from Hugh O'Brien Moran, solicitor to Madge Daly, concerning Tom Clarke's personal effects.

O'Brien Moran is enclosing Clarke's belongings which were held by the British Army following his arrest during Easter week, 1916 and following his execution.

Inscribed on headed paper "Hugh O'Brien Moran Solicitor, 26 Glentworth Street". Madge Daly was the sister-in-law of Tom Clarke.

Clarke, Thomas James (‘Tom’) (1858–1916), revolutionary, was born 11 March 1858 in Hurst Castle, Isle of Wight, where his father was stationed with the Royal Artillery. Although his parents were of mixed religious heritage, Thomas was baptised into the catholic faith of his mother. After a series of overseas postings the family settled in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone where Thomas was educated. He became involved in nationalist politics in 1878 following the visit of John Daly, national organiser for the Irish Republican Brotherhood, to Dungannon. Clarke subsequently joined the organization and became its first district secretary in Dungannon.

He lived in New York for a time where was active in several Irish-American organizations, Clann na nGael among them, and helped John Devoy launch the Gaelic American newspaper. While in New York he married John Daly's niece Kathleen but returned to Ireland in 1907 after which he ran a tobacconist's and newsagent's shop at 55 Amiens Street and 75a Parnell Street, Dublin. Active in almost all aspects of the nationalist movement, Clarke joined the Gaelic League and Sinn Féin, helped found the Irish Volunteers in November 1913. He was president of the O'Donovan Rossa funeral committee and invited Pearse to give the famous graveside oration in August 1915. Clarke was an essential link between the IRB in Dublin and Clan na Gael in New York and so, given the central role he played in bringing about the rising down the years, the other leaders of the Rising insisted he be first to sign the revolutionary proclamation.

Despite the toll that fifteen years in prison had taken on his body (he looked much older than his 59 years) he was determined to fight on when the leaders fled the GPO for 16 Moore Street at the end of Easter Week and is reported to have broken down sobbing on hearing the news of Pearse’s surrender. He was court-martialled in Richmond barracks on May 2, 1916, sentenced to death and was one of the first to be shot by firing squad the next day.

(Biographical details: James Quinn. Clarke, 'Thomas James (‘Tom’)'. Dictionary of Irish Biography.)