Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa: ‘He was called O’Dynamite Rossa’

Certain things tend to run in families — particularly names. Williams Rossa Cole is a great grandson of O’Donovan Rossa. His brother is Ross Williams Cole, and their father was William Rossa Cole. The brothers have four children between them — all have a Rossa in their name.

Williams, 45, lives in Brooklyn but last week he landed in Shannon and, without catching up on his sleep, headed straight down to West Cork, the land of his forebears, as part of his continuing documentary project on his famous ancestor.

Williams’s father, William Rossa Cole, was ODR’s grandson and something of a legend in his own right. Born in Staten Island, he served for the Second World War and somehow inveigled his way from Paris following VE Day to Ireland, having apparently “forged a pass”. According to Williams, the demob-happy GI met Éamon de Valera. It seems that since both men were quite tall, at some point they stood back-to-back to see who was taller. The winner is not recorded.