Thomas Davis (1814-1845) was a leading figure in the Young Ireland movement of the 1840s. With Charles Gavan Duffy and John Blake Dillon, he created the influential weekly newspaper Nation in an effort to support Daniel O'Connell’s campaign to repeal the Act of Union. A man of great political and literary promise, he died at only 31. This work provides an objective portrait of Davis’ life and thoughts. Helen Mulvey covers the principal events of Davis’ life and work, discusses his role in the evolution of Irish nationalism, and reveals his importance to generations of nationalists. The text pays particular attention to his motivations, ideas, interests, friendships, and inconsistencies. A man of many talents, Davis might have become a lawyer, an historian of Ireland, a writer of historical fiction, or a champion of various public causes, political or social.