Theobald Wolfe Tone was just 35 and a half when he committed suicide, with none of his ambitions achieved. Yet his reputation as the founding father of Irish republicanism is still in the zenith. His name was used by Davis and Pearce almost as a mantra and his grave at Bodenstown, County Kildare, is one of the most hallowed of republican sites. In spite of often frustrating efforts for his country's independence, Tone retained his courage, wit and the sense of fun that made him a sterling friend and popular companion. One of the founders of the United Irishmen and an early defender of the rights of Catholics, he might have had many different careers if early ambitions had been fulfilled. This short but comprehensive account of his life and work shows him to be a true patriot but a much more complex character than the icon-makers would have him.