Rossa's Recollections: 1838-1898

Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa (1831-1915) is a figure of immense magnitude in the history of Irish Republicanism. Born in Rosscarbery, County Cork, Rossa grew up as a direct witness to the deliberate starving of the Irish people by the English government, known as the “Great Hunger.” His political thought was formed and nurtured in opposition to the rule of English landlordism over the Irish nation, particularly the Irish peasantry, the suppression of the Gaelic language, and other policies of national oppression inflicted upon the Irish people. Rossa’s great merit lay in his unyielding hate for the subjugation of Ireland by England, and in his love for Ireland and all things Irish, both within and outside her borders.