—a special supplement from History Ireland.  

Over the course of three days, beginning in Clifton House, Belfast, on Friday 17 November 2023 and concluding in Tailor’s Hall in Dublin on the following Sunday, Wolfe Tone’s life, career and achievements were evaluated and re-evaluated, as his legacies were explored in a series of lectures, panels and round-table discussions. Set against the backdrop of a crisp late autumn in Belfast and Dublin, the three-day event brought together a diverse array of scholars, historians and descendants to appraise Tone’s enduring impact on Irish history.

From the hallowed grounds of Clifton Street graveyard, where luminaries like Henry Joy McCracken and Dr William Drennan rest, to the vibrant discussions at Tailor’s Hall in Dublin, this supplement expertly weaves together the threads of Tone’s complex legacy. The papers delve into Tone’s role as a founding member of the United Irishmen, his diplomatic missions to revolutionary France and his influence on the evolving concept of Irish republicanism.

Yet, as the event unfolds, questions linger. Why Tone? What sets him apart from other figures of his time? These topics are skilfully navigated, challenging popular misconceptions and exploring the broader historical context within which Tone operated. Drawing on insights from seasoned scholars like Marianne Elliott and Thomas Bartlett, as well as fresh perspectives from emerging academics, History Ireland’s latest special supplement illuminates the nuanced complexities of Tone’s contributions to Irish history.

We examine Tone’s enduring literary legacy, from his vivacious memoir to the meticulous remembrance rituals at Bodenstown. Painstaking research and engaging prose invite readers to reconsider Tone’s place in the pantheon of Irish heroes, offering a timely reflection on the intersection of memory, identity and historical interpretation.

Wolfe Tone 225 is not just a tribute to one man’s legacy; it’s a thought-provoking exploration of how we remember and commemorate the past. With its rich tapestry of voices and perspectives, this publication is essential reading for anyone interested in Irish history, republicanism and the enduring power of memory.

Contents and authors

Preface—Jim Smyth (Notre Dame)

1 ‘Who or what was Theobald Wolfe Tone?’—Tom Bartlett (Aberdeen)

2 ‘Wolfe Tone and the eighteenth-century republican ideal’—Jim Smyth (Notre Dame)

3 ‘Tone the polymath? His early Dublin club life’—Martyn Powell (Bristol)

4 ‘“The test of every man’s political creed”—Wolfe Tone and the French Revolution’—Ultán Gillen(Teesside)

5 ‘Wolfe Tone’s Belfast relationships and their influences’—Ken Dawson (former school vice-principal)

6 ‘“Republicans and sinners”—Wolfe Tone and William Drennan’—Fergus Whelan (former trade unionist)

7 ‘How radical was Wolfe Tone?’—Tim Murtagh (Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland)

8 ‘Feelings and “literary fame”? Tone’s self-writings and the reader experience’

—Sylvie Kleinman (TCD)

9 ‘“All the world’s a stage”—Theobald Wolfe Tone and Shakespeare’—Eilís Smyth (TCD)

10 ‘Matilda Tone—“a worthy relict”’—Catriona Kennedy (York)

11 ‘A meeting with Matilda—Thomas Cather’s Voyage to America’—Willa Murphy (Ulster University)

12 ‘Theobald Wolfe Tone Fitzgerald—1798 in 1916’—Donal Fallon (DCC Historian in Residence)

13 ‘Following Wolfe Tone—the Irish republican left’—John Mulqueen (journalist)

14 ‘Conor Cruise O’Brien’s Wolfe Tone—an exceptional case?’—Marion Kelly (TCD)

15 ‘Writing Wolfe Tone: prophet of Irish independence’—Marianne Elliott (Liverpool)

16 ‘Remembering the “Father of Irish Republicanism”’—Guy Beiner (Boston College)

Afterword—Bill Atkins (Tone descendant)