Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sisters of the Revolutionaries focuses on the lives of Margaret and Mary Brigid Pearse, whose brothers, Patrick and Willie, were executed for their role in the Easter Rising and have been commemorated as martyrs ever since. Comparatively little is known about the two sisters, despite their considerable talents and their efforts to uphold the image of their brothers legacies. Margaret was an Irish language activist, politician and educator, working with Patrick in founding St Enda's School and taking it into her own hands following his execution. Mary Brigid was a musician and author of short stories, children's stories and dramas. The sisters' successes were divergent, however, and their deep affection for their brothers never extended towards each other. Teresa and Mary Louise O'Donnell provide a fascinating insight into the lives of Margaret and Mary, illuminating the many joys that were the pattern of their upbringing, their trials following the Rising, and the poignant disintegration of their own relationship later in life. In breathtaking detail, this book attests to the true import of the Pearse sisters contributions and the formidability of their character.