Born on 11th March 1858 on the Isle of Wight.
His Father was a soldier on the British Army who had served on the Crimean War and moved to South Africa where they did live in different British garrisons’ towns.
When Thomas was seven his family moved to County Tyrone.
In Tyrone he had meet John Daly, Uncle of his future wife Kathleen and an Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) organiser. Clarke also become involved with IRB Clarke was tried by court-martial and was one of the first to be executed on 3rd May 1916. Kathleen Clarke was pregnant at the time of the Rising but suffered a miscarriage due to stress.
At the age of 24 in the 1882 he emigrated to America and where he did join the Clann Na nGael.
The following year he was sent to London as part of a bombing campaign, where he was caught, and he did spend fifteen years in Penal servitude forced to do hard work as a form of punishment for his role in a bombing campain in London between 1883 and 1898. His health suffered because of the conditions in jail and a case for his release was taken up by Maud Gonne and Amnesty Association. John Daly was in prison for similar charges. When Thomas was released, he was awarded the Freedom of Limerick City.
He did meet Kathleen Daly in Limerick and corresponded with her when he once again oved to America in 1898. In 1901 she followed him over to America and they Got Married and his best man at the wedding was John MacBride.
In 1907 he returned to Ireland and helped reinvigorate the IRB, steering it steadily towards Insurrection which aimed to end the end British rule in Ireland and establish an Independent Irish Republic while the British was heavily engaged in World War 1 and is considered to have been the most significant Rebelion since 1798.
After their arrival in Ireland, they did open a Newsagents shop in Dublin. He did hold the Position as Treasurer of IRB and was a member of the Supreme Council of IRB from 1915.
Sean Mac Diarmada held the post of Secretary, and these two friends was the main organisers behind the Easter Rising.
when Jeremiah O’Donovan Rosa, one of the Founders of The Fenians died in 1915 Clarke planned a huge funeral as a demonstration of support for Irish Independence. Clarke chose Pádraig Pearse to give the graveside oration and, with thousands of Volunteers attending, the tone of the oration made it very clear that an attempt would soon be made to establish an Irish Republic by force of arms.
Thomas J. Clarke was chosen as the first signatory of the Proclamation of Independence because of his seniority and contribution to the cause over the years. As a member of the Provisional Government, he was one of those who occupied the GPO. After six days of fighting at the GPO, Pearse issued the order to surrender. Although Clarke objected to this, he was outvoted.
After the surrender, a British Amy Captain, Percival Lea-Wilson took Thomas Clarke, Sean MacDiarmada and Ned Daly aside to search them. Clarke had an old bullet wound which had not healed properly. Lea-Wilson found it difficult to remove Clarke’s coat because of the stiffness and forcibly straightened the arm, re-opening the wound and causing terrible pain3. He also made all three men strip to the skin in front of their comrades, including three nurses. Lea-Wilson took away Sean MacDiarmada’s walking stick forcing him to keep pace with the other Volunteers on their march to prison. This treatment of prisoners was noted by a young Captain, Michael Collins. Lea-Wilson was later murdered during the War of Independence in 1921 by the IRA in Gorey, Co. Wexford, where he was serving in the Royal Irish Constabulary. The Volunteers spent the night at the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital after the surrender before being moved to Richmond Barracks.
Clarke was tried by court-martial and was one of the first to be executed on 3rd May 1916. When he was executed for his Role as a Leader on the 1916 Rising he had on his possession in his pockets a book of stamps, a pencil and an empty spectacle case.
Kathleen Clarke was pregnant at the time of the Rising but suffered a miscarriage due to stress. Katheleen was a member of the Daly family in Limerick who had a Republican tradition, the most prominent was John Daly- Maior of Limerick and Leading Member of the IRB.
Katheleen wrote to the Major W.S.Lennon , the officer in command of Kilmainham Gaol overseeing the execution, to request the return of Tom’s Body for burial and was refused and the Tom’s pocket items wore returned to her instead
The railway station in Dundalk was named after Thomas Clarke in 1966 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Rising4. There is a commemorative plaque to Thomas Clarke at the site of his newsagent’s shop, now Griffins Landis convenience store, which is located at the corner of O’Connell Street and Parnell Street.