Madam, - Further to Henry Noel Scarlett's letter of January 6th, perhaps I can clear up any confusion about James Pearse's first family.
James Pearse had four children by his first wife, Emily Susanna Fox: Mary Emily (1864-1944), James Vincent (1866-1912), Agnes Maud (born 1869) and Amy Kathleen (born 1871). Both of his younger daughters died in infancy.
James Fitzgerald's article in your edition of December 30th referred to the Pearse Museum's discovery of these two "extra" daughters from the first marriage because although the existence of the surviving two children, Emily and James Vincent, has been documented (see Ruth Dudley Edwards Patrick Pearse, The Triumph of Failure, pp 2-3), previous scholarship has only ever referred to the existence of one other child who died in infancy.
The name, date of birth and sex of that child, much less the fact that she was one of two daughters who died in infancy, has never, as far as I know, been set down. Indeed it would appear from Patrick Pearse's own unfinished autobiography that even he was not aware that his father had a fourth child by his first wife.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Scarlett for his gracious words about the new Pearse Museum exhibition and his great assistance in providing information and images relating to the very neglected story of James Pearse's first family. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN CROWLEY, Pearse Collection Supervisor, Office of Public Works, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.