Lisl Reviews: Martyrs and Traitors

Martyrs and Traitors: A Tale of 1916 by Marina Julia Neary
On the 99th anniversary of the Easter Rebellion
Review by Lisl

See below for information on your chance to win a FREE COPY of Martyrs and Traitors

A young Bulmer Hobson

With Never Be at Peace, Marina Julia Neary opens up to readers’ awareness and imagination the world that existed behind the 1916 Easter Rebellion, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB)-led event doomed to failure by its own participants. To be seen in this telling of events would be the backdrop of theatre consumed and surrounded by love affairs and casual assignations; jealousies and rivalries; and the rise and fall of groups and leaders of questionable sustainability.

Chief amongst these is Bulmer Hobson, an upper middle-class  Quaker and Ulsterman, whose northern accent somehow is charmingly evident despite Neary’s choice not to emphasize burrs and brogues. He appears once more here in Martyrs and Traitors, which also recounts the events of the Dublin-centered insurrection, zooming in to brighten the field and all within it. Though he is the novel’s central character, the story is not told from Hobson’s point of view, but rather that of an omniscient narrator with the purpose of additionally seeing him the way others do, a narrative choice that develops Hobson’s person even further and also allows his interactions to provide greater insight into who he is.

This Neary pulls off with skill, aplomb, grace and remarkable understanding of this era’s events as well as implications that affect every moment. She brings in Helena Molony, Hobson’s first love, often to showcase the pair’s opposite approaches to their nation’s fight for freedom, not to mention the incandescence of Helena’s nature and the hue she brings to her perspectives.

“Over there,” she gasped, squeezing Bulmer’s arm. 
“You’re in luck. I’m so glad he came out tonight.”

“Who’s ‘he’?”

“Mr. Pearse, the founder of St. Edna’s.”

Bulmer knew all about the school—another educational experiment, not much different from the agricultural commune in Raheny. Except, instead of vegetables, the test subjects were boys.

“Why are you whispering, Helena?”

Her pupils were dilated with indignation. “Well, because . . .  his name’s not to be taken in vain.”

“Is he holy?”

“To many people, he is, believe it or not! Hobson, are you merely innerving me, or are you truly so ignorant of the man’s contribution?”

“We all contribute. Most patrons here have done something for Ireland. And yet they greet each other in their natural speaking voices. We’re not in mourning, are we?”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Pearse is in mourning at the moment, yes.”

“Let me guess . . .  a magazine rejected his poem?”

“You unapologetic blasphemer.”

Hobson being guarded by his kidnappers

Despite Bulmer’s prime spotlight, Neary never allows other characters to function as mere curtain warmers. Their presence indicates the reality that no figure exists in a vacuum but the author’s treatment of them also dignifies their own roles in Hobson’s life as well as that of Ireland. Indeed, the privileged position of opening is awarded to those who kidnap Hobson before the rebellion gets going, aware that he had already added sufficient gum to their works in his efforts to prevent the entire episode from occurring on schedule, thus reducing the number of participants. Neary’s streamlining prowess reveals a great deal about their natures without consigning them to stock status, as she simultaneously shines the spotlight on Pearse—“[Dublin] was about to be demolished by a mob of self-proclaimed patriots in a collective suicide fantasy devised by a handful of IRB bullies under Patrick Pearse’s leadership”—and commences his requirement throughout the novel to work for every strand of sympathy he gets.

This is not Neary’s doing; as she herself states, she doesn’t attempt to sway readers in either direction, “[n]ot that you need to take sides to enjoy a good historical novel.” Pearce’s voice is persuasive, but she presents historical information, relentlessly researched, and even when shared through the filter of Hobson’s perceptions, trusts readers to make their own choices about this moment in time when a group of citizens reached out for the freedom that hitherto had proved so elusive.

With Herbert Hughes and another
pal on a folkloric expedition

The novel does have its light moments—in fact rather many of them. Hobson himself is presented as somewhat caustic, though his sarcasm or insensitivity—dependent on where one stands upon delivery—is characterized by his willingness to unleash it even upon himself. Moreover, while not everyone thanks him for the truth within his statements, specifically regarding IRB multiplexing that would, he warned, lead only to collapse, he issues them anyway, at great risk to himself.

“The only way to free Ireland permanently is by moral insurrection. Our men need to stop drinking and enlisting in the British army and police force. We must expand and support our own industries. I’m not suggesting that we not bear arms at all, but we must use those arms for self-defense, not staging frivolous rebellions to flaunt our reckless courage before the oppressor.”

Reader appreciation for him goes deeper because he is portrayed realistically; no one can rightfully claim Neary’s Hobson as “too perfect”; he certainly is as egotistical as any of his adversaries, and has a way with words. It may be that the logic he employs is too pure in form for casual recognition, despite its simplicity: “No man has the right to risk the fortunes of a country to create for himself a niche in history.” He demands a free Ireland, but will not accept a nation that bleeds itself in it attempts to become whole.

“A body that’s kept clean of harmful substance and engaged in wholesome activity can heal itself. In the same manner, a nation of sober, industrious citizens can claim its independence.”

Dinny McCullough and three Royal Irish
Constabulary men

As the novel moves on we catch glimpses of events also portrayed from a different angle in Never Be at Peace and as Easter Monday and the week come and go, the narrative picks up speed, reflecting the way in which everything since the last uprising has led to this, and the rapidity with which life now seems to pass us by, once something we have toiled long, arduous years for has taken its final bow.

Apart from the initial opening giving us a glimpse into just pre-rebellion, Neary’s tale—aptly titled as one of many portraits of the time—moves along linearly, which for this complicated historical era and cast of performers works best. Post-rebellion we see more of a Hobson we might not always have preferred—he is portrayed as, amongst other descriptors, a user and a traitor—but who succeeds in capturing us as the shared heartbreak of a partitioned nation continues to cast individuals into categories (i.e. religion) that guide us in “knowing” whether we are meant to love or hate them.

For those who grow old and at this time watch their friends and fellows begin to leave this world, it surely must have been all that much more bitter. Neary’s gift of words—a vast repertoire of communication; descriptive action phrases instantly and delightfully recognizable, even when we haven’t ever seen them before; and the ability to bring laughter to our lips when we would prefer to weep—mercifully carries us through these final years, as fast as they pass by. The tenderness with which Hobson’s daughter treats him reminds us of his vulnerability—and our own—as we can at least be grateful for this solidarity amongst so much else that has been divided, personally as well as societally.

Bulmer at Jemmy Hope's graveside

Martyrs and Traitors is an analysis as much as the telling of one man’s role in a movement and place in the world, public and private, a man once categorized by the British as “the most dangerous man in Ireland,” whose rising star really did make him dangerous to Ireland’s rulers, for had his confederates followed his lead, they may have achieved differently—to the detriment of the British. However different to that it turned out, Hobson himself might be the first to point out that what we mourn in life is eclipsed by the freedom of soaring over the sea, as a star burning, for others, its lantern of liberty. 

“This novel is my hymn for all prematurely extinguished stars.”

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Marina Julia Neary has so kindly offered a FREE COPY of Martyrs and Traitors for one lucky winner. If you would like to enter the draw, simply comment below OR at this review's Facebook thread, located here.

About the Author

A self-centered, only child of classical musicians, Marina Julia Neary spent her early years in Eastern Europe and came to the United States at the age of thirteen. Her literary career revolves around depicting military and social disasters, from the Charge of the Light Brigade, to the Irish Famine, to the Easter Rising in Dublin, to the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl some thirty miles away from her home town. Notorious for her  abrasive personality and politically incorrect views that make her a persona non grata in most polite circles, Neary explores human suffering through the prism of dark humor, believing that tragedy and comedy go hand in hand.

Her debut thriller Wynfield's Kingdom was featured on the cover of the First Edition Magazine in the United Kingdom and earned the praise of the Neo-Victorian Studies Journal. After writing a series of novels dealing with the Anglo-Irish conflict (including Brendan Malone, Martyrs & Traitors and Never Be at Peace) she takes a break from the slums of London and the gunpowder-filled streets of Dublin to delve into the picturesque radioactive swamps of her native Belarus. Saved by the Bang: A Nuclear Comedy is a deliciously offensive autobiographical satire featuring sex scandals of Eastern Europe's artistic elite in the face of political upheavals. 

You can find more about Neary and other books at her blog as well as her Facebook and Amazon author pages. The companion novels for Never Be at Peace, Brendan Malone: The Last Fenian and Martyrs & Traitors: A Tale of 1916, as well as others, may also be purchased at Amazon and Amazon UK. A potential addition to follow up the trilogy is entitled The Lily of Ulster.

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Note: This post has been updated with additional photographs

Guest Post: Marina Julia Neary Discusses Her Exploration of a Politically Incorrect Hero

As we observe the 99th anniversary of Dublin's Easter Rising of 1916, author Marina Julia Neary discusses its events, two key players and an unexpected admiration.

The Rising of 1916

With the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin approaching, there is a surge of renewed interest in the subject among Irish history buffs. There's a great deal of revising and re-evaluating the past, with martyrs and traitors often trading places. Incidentally, that is the title of one of my novels, Martyrs & Traitors. The choice of words is filled with pathos and sarcasm. Perhaps, I should point out that I am not a propagandist but a storyteller. I've been asked before whether I sided with the British or with the Irish rebels, but in reality I do not take sides, nor do I try to sway my readers in either direction. Not that you need to take sides to enjoy a good historical novel. So far I have three novels in the Irish series: Brendan Malone: The Last Fenian (All Things That Matter Press, 2011), Martyrs & Traitors: A Tale of 1916 (All Things That Matter Press, 2011) and Never Be at Peace: A Novel of Irish Rebels (Fireship Press, 2014). The three novels deal with the Easter Rising. 

A controversial campaign
As a military campaign, the Easter Rising was doomed from the start. Not that it was ever meant to be a military success. The instigators lacked proper training and were no match for the British soldiers. It certainly would not be the first unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the British rule. Similar attempts had happened over the course of the 19th century on a much lower scale. It was a publicity stunt more than anything. Still, 1916 was as good a time as any. By then England was up to her shoulders in WWI on the Western front. The leaders behind the rising thought it was a convenient time for them to strike, since most of the troops were on the continent. "England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity."  On Easter Monday, a handful of the Irish Volunteers and members of the Irish Citizen Army captured a few key buildings in the city and managed to hold them for various periods of time. Still, there was no chance of winning. The British sent the reinforcements and put the insurrection down. The initial reaction of the people of Dublin was fury with the rebels whose amateur rising had turned the city center into a pile of rubble. Most of them were totally apolitical and did not really care about Ireland's freedom, as long as they were able to run their businesses. However, after the first wave of fury subsided, people's sentiments started changing. The harsh treatment of the rebel leaders by the British galvanized the Irish population, which was exactly what the leaders had hoped for. Of course, they did not know that for sure marching into the battle. That was the risk they were taking.  

Within the revolutionary circles, not all key players were on the same side. Some believed in the symbolic power of martyrdom, the proverbial "triumph of failure," while other considered it a waste of blood. Many alliances, friendships and even love affairs had broken up over that question. In Martyrs & Traitors, the events are described through the eyes of a man who tried to stop the rising, Bulmer Hobson (1883-1969), a prominent member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Unlike Patrick Pearse, one of the leaders of the rising, Hobson saw no value in the sacrificial bloodshed. As an influential officer in the Irish Volunteers, Hobson went against his comrades. Such insolence had nearly cost him his life. On the eve of the rising he was captured and kept at gunpoint until the hostilities were well underway. Years later, after Ireland had finally gotten her freedom, he had no place in the political arena, as he was still remembered as a traitor.

A politically incorrect hero
Hobson's first name was John, but he went by his middle name Bulmer - which was also a surname on his mother's side of the family. Bulmer means young male calf. It denotes a clean, boyish masculinity. According to various sources, Hobson was cheerful, energetic and forthcoming but at the same time very benevolent and naive.

Hobson as a young man (24)
during his trip to the U.S.

It seems that in today's world it's almost a faux pas to depict a heterosexual middle-class white Anglo Saxon Protestant male in a sympathetic light. It's a group that's been demonized by the media as the source of all human suffering. Well, the main character of Martyrs & Traitors falls into every category listed above. The middle child of a prosperous Quaker family from Belfast, he did not experience the deprivations that so many of his contemporaries did. On paper, he does have a few saving graces: his mother was a radical feminist, whose activism formed his views on gender equality. If Hobson did not show much compassion for the poor, it was not due to deliberate callousness but rather to his lack of firsthand experience of destitution. Even though he was of predominantly English stock, he sided with Irish separatists. In the upper middle-class Quaker circle in which he grew up, his political and cultural views were regarded as rather exotic, for lack of better word. At the same time, Quaker ethos maintains that each individual is free to embrace activism that's dear to his/her heart, as long as that activism does not involve usage of physical force. The last principle of his faith mandating pacifism Hobson found hard to swallow. In 1914 he took active part in arming the Irish Volunteers with Mausers supplied by Germany. His activities were incompatible with Quaker principles, so he ended up dropping out of the Society of Friends. 

As for his nationalist comrades, because of his English roots and a fairly privileged early life, he was regarded with suspicion. It's a myth that all Irish nationalists were of Irish stock and Catholic. There were several English and Protestant participants who acted on a principle, though they were always kept under a magnifying glass. To many Hobson was just a rich half-English boy experimenting with radical politics. That view was held by his first love, Helena Molony, an actress from the Abbey Theatre and one of the most vocal belligerents. Incidentally, she is the heroine of my novel Never Be at Peace. 

Hobson's first love, Helena Molony

From curiosity to full-blown obsession

Truth be told, as far as my tastes in men go, I have no interest in dark, brooding, muscular Latin lovers. I like scrawny, pale, vitamin D-deprived Anglo-Saxon boys. It's no wonder that I became infatuated with Bulmer, to the point of taking the liberty of inventing several romantic affairs that fall outside what was documented by historians. Spoiler: don't expect airbrushed, orchestrated sex scenes. I always play up the grotesque element. The early 20th century saw a wave of sexual revolution. The young women involved in the nationalistic movement were rebels on many fronts. It's no secret that the atmosphere of danger and political intrigue heightens the senses. Still, we're talking about a time before widespread sex ed. Sexual norms and gender roles were still largely dictated by the Christian ethos - Catholic and Protestant alike. Premarital sex and polyamory were practiced but not flaunted or discussed in the open. There were many things that lovers had to discover for themselves. There were awkward moments that rendered disastrous results. Among the rebels there were family men like James Connolly. There were individuals who channeled their libido into their cause, like Patrick Pearse and his brother Willie. For me as a writer it was fascinating to explore those subjects.

One mysterious element of Hobson's life that kept me up at night was his marriage to Claire Gregan after the Rising. The marriage ended up failing after a few decades of internal struggle. Very little is known in terms of details, so I had to fill the gaps with my filthy imagination. Claire Gregan is something of a mystery. According to some sources, she was considered quite a beauty. Of course, there were no published pictures of her, so I set off on a quest. After about 18 months of searching, I finally was able to locate a few photos of Hobson's family in an archive at the British Library. Do not ask me how much money I spent to have those photos covered. It was worth every penny, finally being able to behold the features of my competition. It was healing to discover that she and I have something in common. Still, that picture only inflamed my curiosity.

In the spring of 2012 I wrote an essay about Florence Fulton Hobson, Ireland's first female architect and Bulmer's older sister. I was secretly hoping that Bulmer's descendents would stumble across the essay and contact me.  It was a bait of sort. I was both excited and terrified. Sure enough, it happened! About 20 months after the publication of the essay, I got an e-mail from Bulmer's grandson Roger. I was relieved to discover that his tone was most genial and benevolent. One of my not-so-unfounded fears was that he would express disapproval over my portrayal of his grandfather. Imagine my relief and gratitude when he expressed support for my work and sent more photos from the personal archive. I hope that the profundity of my love for Hobson shines through in my prose.

Handsome Edgar Harding in character
as Bulmer Hobson

Still photo from the cover shoot of
Martyrs & Traitors

Stay tuned tomorrow for Lisl's review of Martyrs & Traitors: A Tale of 1916 and your chance to win a FREE COPY!

To read Lisl's review of Never Be at Peace, please click here.

About the Author

A self-centered, only child of classical musicians, Marina Julia Neary spent her early years in Eastern Europe and came to the United States at the age of thirteen. Her literary career revolves around depicting military and social disasters, from the Charge of the Light Brigade, to the Irish Famine, to the Easter Rising in Dublin, to the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl some thirty miles away from her home town. Notorious for her  abrasive personality and politically incorrect views that make her a persona non grata in most polite circles, Neary explores human suffering through the prism of dark humor, believing that tragedy and comedy go hand in hand.

Her debut thriller Wynfield's Kingdom was featured on the cover of the First Edition Magazine in the United Kingdom and earned the praise of the Neo-Victorian Studies Journal. After writing a series of novels dealing with the Anglo-Irish conflict (including Brendan Malone, Martyrs & Traitors and Never Be at Peace) she takes a break from the slums of London and the gunpowder-filled streets of Dublin to delve into the picturesque radioactive swamps of her native Belarus. Saved by the Bang: A Nuclear Comedy is a deliciously offensive autobiographical satire featuring sex scandals of Eastern Europe's artistic elite in the face of political upheavals. 

You can find more about Neary and other books at her blog as well as her Facebook and Amazon author pages. The companion novels for Never Be at Peace, Brendan Malone: The Last Fenian and Martyrs & Traitors: A Tale of 1916, as well as others, may also be purchased at Amazon and Amazon UK. A potential addition to follow up the trilogy is entitled The Lily of Ulster.

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Lisl can also be found at before the second sleep, where she publishes book reviews, poetry and her own musings. She is a contributor to Naming the Goddess, has published poetry in Alaska Women Speak, and is currently at work on a book of short stories and other projects.