Pearse’s surrender note sells for €700,000

A SURRENDER note written by Padraig Pearse fetched €700,000 — almost 10 times its guide price — at an auction held in Dublin last night.

The document, dated April 30, 1916, had been estimated to sell for about €80,000 by auctioneers James Adam and Sons.

A spokesperson for the firm said last night: “There was huge interest and it exceeded its guide price incredibly. It finally went to an anonymous bidder.”

Several State organisations had viewed the historic letter, which was penned by Pearse from his prison cell days before his execution by firing squad after the ill-fated Easter Rising.

The letter had been stored by an anonymous family for 80 years after a Capuchin priest, Father Columbus, collected the letter from Pearse’s cell in Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison.

An original copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Republic recently went for a record €390,000 at the same salesrooms in Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green.

Pearse wrote the note before he was executed with 14 other rebels captured in the battle to overthrow British rule.

The letter reads: “In order to prevent further slaughter of the civil population and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, the members of the Provisional Government present at headquarters have decided on an unconditional surrender, and commandants or officers commanding districts will order their commands to lay down arms.

"PH Pearse. Dublin 30th April 1916.”

Fr Columbus brought the hand-written note to forces in the Four Courts who had refused to give up the fight a week after the Proclamation was read on the steps of the GPO.

On reading the letter Captain Gary Holohan, who was in charge of the Four Courts Command, ceased hostilities and surrendered. Other surrender notes, which are in State hands, were typed up for Pearse to sign.