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Last letter by Irish nationalist hero Pearse saved for museum

DUBLIN -- A letter written by a leader of Ireland's ill-fated 1916 uprising against British rule shortly before his execution will stay in Dublin after an anonymous benefactor stepped in ahead of its auction.

The previously unseen letter from Padraig Pearse listing his final requests to the commander of the British forces in Ireland had been expected to fetch 80,000 to 120,000 euros ($162,500) when it went under the hammer in Dublin earlier this week.

"The National Museum of Ireland ... has acquired the letter sent to General Maxwell, Commander of the British Forces in Ireland," the museum said of the document written at Kilmainham Gaol on May 2, 1916, on the eve of Pearse's execution.
Read entire article at Reuters