The President, Mrs McAleese, was presented yesterday with the first copy of a new book about Robert Emmet, published to coincide with the bicentenary of the 1803 rising today.
The book, Remember Emmet: images of the life and legacy of Robert Emmet, was presented to Mrs McAleese by the director of the National Library, Mr Brendan O'Donoghue, and by the author, Dr Ruán O'Donnell, at a reception in Áras an Uachtaráin.
The book, incorporating new research, aims to create a fuller portrait of Emmet and to bring substance to the myths surrounding his attempted rising and subsequent execution.
It is extensively illustrated with items from the National Library, the National Archives, Kilmainham Gaol, the National Museum and other sources in Ireland and America. It contains over 250 documents and images, some of them hitherto unpublished.
These include the working notes of the judge who tried the 1803 conspirators, and sketches of Emmet while on trial in Green Street Courthouse.
Emmet intended to start a national rising, but the murder of Lord Kilwarden, the Chief Justice, ensured that his premature insurrection ended in failure. Emmet is remembered chiefly for his idealistic speech from his trial.
Dr O'Donnell, lecturer in history at the University of Limerick, hopes through his books to focus on Emmet's radical ideas rather than the manner of his death.