THE PURSUIT OF ROBERT EMMET

A biography, not only of the Irish patriot, but of the principles and cause for which he gave his life, this covers the story of the growth of Irish national spirit, of the force and fear that suppressed a people and a land. The personal story of Robert Emmet, idealist, romantic, ardent, never too practical, is completely interwoven with the history of his period, with national and international and political issues. In this, his course is traced, through his family background, the early influences toward rebellion against the English, the controversy at Trinity that led to his expansion, the forces that brought him into the plot to attack Dublin Castle and other locations of government in 1803, failure and his days as fugitive, then as prisoner on trial for treason. Many conflicting reports are scrutinized, the possibilities that Emmet had been tricked into conspiracy to fit English purposes, and the fact remaining, that Emmet never betrayed his companions and through his ordeal lived on as a symbol for his countrymen. A worthy examination of the man and his efforts that is of appeal more to the student of Irish history than to the general reader.