Edward Carson

Born in Dublin in 1854, Edward Carson was one of the leading barristers of his day. He practised at both the Irish and English bars, and was the relentless prosecuting counsel in the celebrated trial of Oscar Wilde. However, maintaining the Union was the guiding star of his life. A Unionist MP since 1892; he first took office in 1900 as solicitor-general under Salisbury. When Asquith's 1912 Home Rule Bill was introduced he mobilised Protestant Ulster against it, playing a leading role in the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force. He hoped to save all Ireland for the Union but events in the south both before and after the 1916 Easter Rising made this impossible. Regarding the partition of Ireland as a defeat, he retired from politics, disillusioned and embittered. His name, however, lives on and is still inspirational for the groupings - constitutional and paramilitary - who continue to cherish the union with Britain.