Bodenstown revisited

The grave of Theobald Wolfe Tone, its monuments and its pilgrimages

C.J. Woods

'[A] fascinating and in-depth account of Tone's final resting place and its place in Ireland's history [...] Who said what, what the themes were, how many were there, the effects of splits, etc. are all elaborated upon by C.J. and in a short review I cannot do justice to C.J.'s tremendous research, including producing a speaker's lists for each nearly annual commemoration since 1873 [ ... This book adds] to our knowledge of Tone, his writing and how he was remembered, a must-read', Aengus Ó Snodaigh, History Ireland (Mar.–Apr. 2019).

'This exhaustively documented survey of the political composition and fluctuating scale of the annual pilgrimages to Tone's grave, the changing emphases of the speeches, and the physical evolution of the memorial itself, does serve as a remarkably sensitive barograph of the ebb and flow, of the intimate and internecine fortunes, of nationalist and republican movements on this island', Jim Smyth, Irish Times (Dec. 2018).

'This account of the place and its role in the centuries since [Wolfe Tone's death] is a remarkable piece of work. In this comprehensive and insightful study of the annual commemorations at Bodenstown, historian C.J. Woods ... provides an unprecedented treasure trove of information and wise analysis on all aspects of the republican movement', J. Anthony Gaughan, The Irish Catholic (Oct. 2018).

'A very interesting exploration of the cultural and political creation and significance of Bodenstown graveyard as a place of memory and pilgrimage ... A very important and timely study of a place of memory, political remembrance and cultural iconography', Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (Nov. 2018).

'Despite the prominence of Bodenstown in the complex weave of modern Irish politics it has taken until now for its significance to be thoroughly discussed in book form. Celbridge-based scholar C.J. Woods ... has published a compelling and attractive history of Bodenstown, the Wolfe Tone monuments, and the parades and the rallies ... A fine production ... it is a triumph of historical documentation', Liam Kenny, Leinster Leader (Nov. 2018).