Piaras Béaslaí (; 15 February 1881 – 22 June 1965) was an Irish author, playwright, biographer and translator, who was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, fought in the Easter Rising and served as a member of Dáil Éireann. Early life Piaras Béaslaí was born Percy Frederick Beazley in Liverpool, England on 15 February 1881 to Irish Catholic parents, Patrick Langford Beazley and Nannie Hickey. Patrick Langford Beazley, from Killarney, County Kerry, moved to Egremont, Cumbria and was the editor of The Catholic Times newspaper for 40 years; Nannie Hickey was from Newcastle West, County Limerick. Béaslaí's parents married in March 1878, in the West Derby district of the county of Lancashire. During his summer holidays in his younger years, he spent time in Ireland (near Kenmare, County Kerry) with his paternal uncle, Father James Beazley, where he began to learn Irish. Béaslaí was educated at St Xavier’s Jesuit College in Liverpool, where he developed his keen interest in Irish; by the time he was aged 17 his Irish proficiency was exceptional. Literary career After finishing his education at St Xavier’s, Béaslaí was encouraged to begin Irish poetry by Tadhg Ó Donnchadha. Béaslaí followed his father’s footsteps into journalism; he began by working for the local Wallasey News, and in 1906 he moved to Dublin, and within a year became a freelance writer for the Irish Peasant, Irish Independent, Freeman's Journal and Express. He was offered a permanent position with Independent Newspapers, as assistant leader writer and special reporter for the Dublin Evening Telegraph. He wrote regularly for the Freeman's Journal, including a daily half-column in Irish. After his early introduction to Irish poetry he became involved in staging Irish-language amateur drama at the Oireachtas annual music festival. Béaslaí began to write both original works and adaptations from foreign languages. One of these works, Eachtra Pheadair Schlemiel (1909), was translated from German into Irish. Later he continued to write poetry, such as the collection “Bealtaine 1916” agus Dánta Eile (1920), and short stories such as "Earc agus Aine agus Scéalta Eile". Between 1913 and 1939 he wrote many plays, including Cliuche Cartaí (1920), An Sgaothaire agus Cúig Drámaí Eile (1929), An Danar (1929) and An Bhean Chródha (1931). He wrote two books about his comrade Michael Collins: Michael Collins and the Making of a New Ireland (2 volumes, 1926) and Michael Collins: Soldier and Statesman (1937). His works revolved