Margaret Brady was born on 12 February 1857 in Dublin[1] and was baptised in St. Lawrence O'Toole's parish.

[3] She joined Sinn Féin after the Rising and gave support and endorsement to candidates during the 1918 Westminster election.

[20] She supported those who opposed the Treaty during the Irish Civil War and continued to be a member of Sinn Féin until 1926.

In 1926 she left the party conference with Éamon de Valera and became a founder member of Fianna Fáil.

[16] In May 1924, when Margaret Pearse was aged 70, she undertook a trip to America to raise funds for the school,[23] alongside showing support for Éamon de Valera and the Irish Republic.

[24] At an event in Brooklyn on 19 May 1924, when referencing the execution of her two sons, Margaret declared herself the "proudest mother in Ireland".

[25] During a meeting in Seattle on 11 August 1924, she again discussed her sons and how she believed "the best way to honour their memory was to carry on their work for Ireland".

She was honoured with a large state funeral and a motion was passed at the meeting of Dublin City Council expressing sympathy with the Pearse family.

[27] On 26 April 1932 sizeable crowds paid their respects as her funeral procession made its way through the streets of Dublin.

[28] At the General Post Office, where Patrick and William fought during the Easter Rising, the funeral cortege paused for a minute's silence before proceeding to Glasnevin Cemetery.

[28] Éamon de Valera gave an oration as she was laid to rest, which praised her inspiring courage, charity and cheerfulness during the years after her son's death.

Upon Mary Margaret's death in 1968, as per her mother's request, she passed the house on to the people of Ireland.