1916 Rising

<a href="bookcreator://page/pUmUlFj1SvmnXbGztfXffg">Stories from the Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/pUmUlFj1SvmnXbGztfXffg">Francis Sheehy Skeffington</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/3-17kCpDTZ-NrmVhq_ew_w">The Worlds first Radio Broadcast</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/HymEv85yT9GFfgXGQQAh2w">Olympic Cyclists and The Easter Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/_ZissVcySu2oIEHrE3Mabw">A Ceasefire for the Ducks</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/CNv_uNCRQd6Pl6Bmwpl0ng">Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/qGA2MdtATUOlBN6-4ZrixQ">From Dublin to Hollywood</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/cb31bFHvQJymHd2lkoSxFA">Michael Collins-The Big Fella</a>

One of the first things to happen was that the police disappeared from the streets. This led to lots of looting of shops. Sweet and toy shops were the most popular shops to be looted. Not realising yet what exactly was happening large crowds of onlookers started to gather wondering what would happen next. About 3 hours after the GPO was taken over, a troop of cavalry charged down O’Connell Street which was known as Sackville Street at the time. Some say they that they were on a mission to retake the GPO while others say that they were unaware of the presence of the rebels in the GPO. They presented an easy target for the rebels inside and several soldiers were killed. Even still some people remained on the street watching and wondering what was happening.

<a href="bookcreator://page/D621bvBBQgOFBQl1p-G9IQ">The Leaders of the Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/XWSrOwjuTa2fkqNSnt_x6w">Other Executions</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/D621bvBBQgOFBQl1p-G9IQ">Pádraig Pearse</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/XWSrOwjuTa2fkqNSnt_x6w">Roger Casement</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/276kItdtQ9mxUdOQTLsN5w">Thomas Clarke</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/z-5xlkF_TVy-gK1O3381Ew">Con Colbert</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/h5-e7Z2pQ8SjsueSUx5nDg">James Connolly</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/tnIDbb85QwWwl9heegfNGw">Edward Daly</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/i1cRr0LpSOyJWsxbLQjz9Q">Thomas McDonagh</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/9n7LHYjTThOBGfbSB9xf7w">Seán Heuston</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/7ZakcWZtQ-WUR0jptHZFzQ">Seán Mac Diarmada</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/eZZTpWOARTm-VEFuIIrHFw">John MacBride</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/cftBsS98QFivBYevo19wdw">Eamonn Ceannt</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/aNVKzeeqS4yUaqHk7mB-KA">Michael Mallin</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/tRNXkbG4QYSgTL0iHKIetA">Joseph Plunkett</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/nYbJe-MoSy22ZW0mxHC2mA">Michael O'Hanrahan</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/102HlZJzQkypjVL03E4CGA">Women of the Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/wSD4-8-MQ8eCYV8o5AqmcA">William Pearse</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/102HlZJzQkypjVL03E4CGA">Countess Constance Markievicz</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/LEj3H6ReTyKDRJx4rHtETQ">Thomas Kent</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/3YBuWHPOQtq8rhTKZOqMKA">Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/u3aoNsbaTXOuZ9-OvcRfHA">Dr Kathleen Lynn</a>

In response to this, the Irish Volunteers were founded with the aim of ensuring that Home Rule was introduced at the end of the war as they had been promised. They also practised drilling and training. However, they had limited supplies of weapons and were not as well prepared as the UVF.

Countess Constance Markievicz (1868-1927)

Born in London, her father was Henry Gore-Booth, an Arctic explorer and a landlord in the west of Ireland. Constance was educated at the family estate in Lissadell, Co Sligo. She was noted as a fine horsewoman who had an excellent shot. Inspired by William Butler Yeats, she became interested in Irish nationalism and social issues at a time when women were not allowed to vote in elections or to become Members of Parliament. After studying in London and Paris, Constance met and later married Count Markievicz and they returned to Sligo in 1901 where their daughter Maeve was born. In 1903 Markievicz moved to Dublin where she joined the Daughters of Ireland group and later in 1909 founded Na Fianna Éireann. Working with James Connolly, she ran a soup kitchen at Liberty Hall during the 1913 lockout, before she joined the Citizen Army.

The Unionists did not like the possibility of Home Rule and organised the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) to oppose its introduction. Guns were imported and the UVF began to practise drilling and training. 

Since the Lockout of 1913, the military and many of Dublin&apos;s employers had viewed the ITGWU (Irish Transport and General Workers Union) as little more than trouble makers. They believed that Connolly and his Irish Citizen Army had to be involved in the rising. The firing on Liberty Hall continued for sometime without any real damage being done to the building. Eventually, the gunners found their target causing major damage to the building and surrounding tenements. Unknown to the military though, Liberty Hall was deserted apart from a caretaker who emerged and ran for his life.

The military now stepped up its attacks paying particular attention to buildings which it believed had been taken over by rebels. One such building was Kelly&apos;s Fishing Tackle Shop on the corner of O’Connell Street. The location of this building overlooking the quays made it ideal for snipers. Using its superior firepower and numbers, the military were able to deal effectively with this threat. In spite of the ongoing danger, some civilians still ventured out to see what was happening. The looting continued whenever there was a break in the fighting.

<a href="bookcreator://page/n9Zo88NaTLyA2OmUjs_vtA">Overview Video</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/eTI_-9m8QE-INO_kQ5T00Q">Monday 24 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/w-NizzK8TZOduLAMfk8Nnw">Background to the Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/B8YhM24-Qua26m9X_xczwg">Tuesday 25 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/fBPWTr7HTgi08O4xUwN_UA">1913 Lockout</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/EJBEWfzIQ9S221_S4FWiUw">Wednesday 26 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/4XQM7JF7Q2SYTpRGDcnK6w">Irish Citizen Army</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/k_cf5RDLQ-CToArjg4K8zw">Thursday 27 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/1720NiCSSi2fRAXTp4OqIA">The UVF and Irish Volunteers</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/cSIZxoE5SeK9SM5PJBxNLA">News Coverage</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/CFh8_RZwSjCJsqmPLE7Xgw">Irish Republican Brotherhood</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/WixgNhGLRpaw2BCOT1Pv-w">Friday 28 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/HBesx0x8QGib5-A_PnDwGw">Plans for a Rising</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/Pm5gDpk-QWGat80H0tw7Dw">Saturday 29 April 1916</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/ie1iPD_PTqSaIxWnJQUNFQ">Final Preparations</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/emo3hHl_QNeA0rtGTCFFRA">Aftermath</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/kF7zccikRSmwXPrgtjZsDA">Video Footage</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/HeekUsp1S-2RQQbRIiaO2Q">The Rising in Cork</a>

Thomas Clarke was born on the Isle of Wight to Irish parents. At 57, he was the oldest of the leaders and a long time member of the IRB. He spent 15 years in prison in England before travelling to America. He returned to Ireland in 1907 and opened a small shop in Parnell Street in Dublin. This shop was often used as a meeting place for those planning the rising.

In 1916 wireless communication was in its infancy and, in general, signals were targeted to particular receiving stations. The idea that a signal might be just broadcast into the atmosphere in the hopes that someone might pick it up was a fairly radical one. On Easter Monday, however, rebel leader Joseph Mary Plunkett sent seven men from the GPO across O’Connell Street to occupy the Dublin Wireless School of Telegraphy. The school had been shut down and sealed by the authorities at the start of the war, and the equipment was dismantled. By Tuesday morning, however, the rebels managed to get a damaged transmitter working, and they began to send out messages in morse code:

“Irish Republic declared in Dublin today. Irish troops have captured city and are in full possession. Enemy cannot move in city. The whole country rising.”
From then until the building had to be abandoned under machine- gun and sniper fire the next day, the message was broadcast at regular intervals.
This is widely accepted as being the world’s first radio broadcast and, although it was indeed intercepted by several receivers, the rebels never knew if their message was being picked up because they couldn’t get any receiving equipment to work.

Born in City Quay, Dublin, she was a midwife at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, and member of Cumann na mBan. O’Farrell acted as a courier both before and during the Rising, and was one of just three women in the GPO. She played a key role after the surrender, delivering messages to both Irish Volunteer leaders and the British. Pearse was accompanied by O’Farrell when he surrendered to General Lowe Though partly obscured by Pearse, she is seen in a photograph taken at the moment of the surrender — but was removed from subsequent versions. O’Farrell died in Fatima House in Bray, Co Wicklow in 1957 and is buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin Cemetery alongside Julia Grenan who was with her in the GPO

During the Lockout it became obvious to both Larkin and Connolly that the police were on the side of the employers. To protect the workers Larkin and Connolly founded the Irish Citizen Army. Within a short time 500 men had joined and the army had its headquarters at Liberty Hall in Dublin. It&apos;s flag was the Plough and the Stars. In its early days it&apos;s &quot;soldiers&quot; had no weapons and used Hurley&apos;s to practice drilling. At the end of the Lockout numbers dwindled with many leaving to join the newly formed Irish Volunteers. By the summer of 1914 the army had become a small but disciplined army. 

On Easter Monday he put his life at risk by helping a wounded soldier while the next day, concerned at the scale of looting that was taking place, he tried to organise a citizens’ police force to maintain law and order. That evening, he was arrested at Portobello Bridge in Rathmines and detained in Portobello Barracks. The following morning he was shot on the orders of Captain J.C. Bowen-Colthurst, from Co Cork. He was wearing a ‘votes for women’ badge when arrested. 
As a result of the controversy the Simon Commission was set up to inquire into the circumstances. Bowen-Colthurst was found guilty of the murder but criminally insane.

Eamonn DeValera was one of those arrested for their part in the Rising. DeValera was born in America and was not executed as a result. He would later become the President of Ireland. 

Sean Mac Diarmada was born in County Leitrim. He worked in Glasgow as a gardener and then as a tram conductor. He moved to Dublin and became friendly with Thomas Clarke. He travelled throughout Ireland as an organiser for the IRB.

Inside the GPO, spirits were high especially after the attack on the cavalry the day before. However, there was a realisation that a counter attack would come - the only question being when. Meanwhile work and preparations continued with barricades being constructed on the streets. Inside the GPO, work continued fortifying the building against attack. In order to improve communications, holes were tunnelled into the adjoining buildings. In this way, it was possible to move unseen from building to building. As well as giving a military advantage, this tactic also allowed messengers to move from one position to another.

Seán Heuston: Born in 1891, he was responsible for the organisation of Fianna Éireann in Limerick. Along with Con Colbert, Heuston was involved in the education of the schoolboys at Scoil Éanna, organising drill and musketry exercises. A section of the First Battalion of the Volunteers, under the leadership of Heuston, occupied the Mendicity Institute on south of the Liffey, holding out there for two days. He was executed on 8 May 1916. Heuston Railway station in Dublin is named after him.

On hearing about the rising, the man in charge of the British forces in Ireland, General Lowe took charge. He had 4,678 men under his command at the Curragh. Within hours these were mobilised and on their way to Dublin. Another 1,000 soldiers were sent from Belfast. Arrangements were also being made for additional troops to be sent from England. By dawn on Tuesday these forces were in Dublin and the rebels were already outnumbered by 4 to 1. However, General Lowe was still unsure of the number of rebels he was facing and decided to hold off making a direct attack on their positions. Instead he began to cordon off the rebel positions in the hope of isolating the rebels from each other. Martial Law was declared at about 11.30 am and this restricted the movement of people on the streets to daylight hours. Anyone found moving about outside of these times was liable to be shot.

There were many other groups in Ireland also training for war. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was by far the biggest and best trained. They managed to get some spies into the Irish Volunteers and other organisations. The IRB was not satisfied with Home Rule and instead wanted a completely independent Ireland. With Britain at war in Europe, the IRB was convinced that now was the time to stage an armed rebellion. Planning for a rebellion began and there were hopes of getting guns from Germany who were fighting the United Kingdom at the time. A nationwide rising involving thousands of Irish Volunteers was planned for Easter Sunday 1916. The IRB kept its plans secret from the leadership of the Irish Volunteers.

A few weeks before the scheduled Rising, Joseph Plunkett underwent an operation on glands in his throat, a complication caused by TB. Following this, meetings of the military council were often held by his bedside. Shortly after, Joseph Plunkett, whose doctors had given him only a fortnight to live, rose from his sick bed to take his part in the Rising. He was engaged and due to be married to Grace Gifford. Plunkett showed up at the GPO wearing a white silk scarf and carrying a saber, a flamboyant gesture typical of him, and accompanied by Michael Collins, who served as his aide de camp. (One source said that this saber had belonged to Robert Emmett.) His condition worsened during the five days of occupying the GPO. The following is a quotation from James Connolly’s son:

Pádraig Pearse - His father was born in England. He came to Ireland and worked as a sculptor. Patrick had a keen interest in Irish culture and became involved with many cultural organisations. He also joined the Irish Volunteers and became a member of the IRB. He was qualified as a barrister but was also a poet and a writer. He also opened a school in Dublin called St Enda’s. 

By Wednesday morning, the British military authorities had a better picture of the extent of the opposition they were facing and were now in a position to start putting down the rising. The deployment of artillery on the streets of Dublin proved to be a turning point for the military as it was now possible to literally demolish rebel positions. James Connolly had believed that artillery would never be used in this way because of the damage it would cause to the property of wealthy employers. The events of Wednesday were to prove him wrong and from now on the military outcome of the rising was not in doubt. There was no way the rebels were going to win the battle.

The first target for this artillery was Liberty Hall. Early on Wednesday morning, the gunship Helga anchored close to the Custom House and began firing on Liberty Hall.

After surrendering Pearse was taken to General Maxwell who demanded that he write out surrender orders for the other rebel commands around Dublin. Connolly was instructed to do likewise for the men under his command in the Irish Citizen Army. These orders were then taken to the different rebel positions in the city by Elizabeth O Farrell. By 3.45 pm on Saturday afternoon, the rising which had begun at noon on Monday had effectively come to an end. All rebels were instructed to lay down their weapons and line up in O’Connell Street.

Countess Markievicz was one of those arrested after the Rising. 

During the 1916 Rising Markievicz was appointed second in command to Michael Mallin at St Stephen’s Green. Upon surrendering, she kissed her revolver before handing it over to the British officer. Although condemned to death for her part, she had her sentence commuted to penal servitude for life and was imprisoned in Aylesbury Prison, Buckinghamshire. Under the general amnesty of 1917, Markievicz was released. In 1918 she was the first woman elected to the House of Commons but did not take her seat. Markievicz joined Fianna Fail in 1926 and was elected to the Dail but died in a public ward in Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital, Dublin on July 15, 1927. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Co Dublin.

The leadership of the IRB planned the rising for Easter Sunday 1916. The aim was to have a ship from Germany called the Aud land 20,000 rifles in Kerry sometime before Sunday. These weapons would then be distributed to the Irish Volunteers around the country who were scheduled to meet on Sunday and have a training session. In fact the training was a lie and the real plan was to start a rising. They hoped that a nationwide uprising would then take place. Many also hoped that the Germans would also come to help. All of these plans were kept secret from Eoin MacNeill, who was the leader of the Irish Volunteers.

Thomas Kent was part of a prominent nationalist family who lived at Bawnard House, Castlelyons, County Cork. They were prepared to take part in the Easter Rising, but when the mobilisation order was countermanded, they stayed at home. The rising went ahead in Dublin, and the RIC was sent to arrest well-known sympathisers throughout the country including, but not limited to, known members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Volunteers. When the Kent residence was raided they were met with resistance from Thomas and his brothers Richard, David and William. A gunfight lasted for four hours, in which an RIC officer, Head Constable William Rowe, was killed and David Kent was seriously wounded.

Bicycles featured largely as a means of transport on both sides during the rebellion. On the rebel side, however, two cyclists who took part in skirmishing were of more than average ability.
The ironically-named Walker brothers, Michael and John, had both competed for Ireland on the Olympic cycling team in Stockholm in 1912 (Britain was permitted to have each “home nation” compete separately, and so teams from England, Scotland and Ireland entered). Their event was the 200-mile road race, which began at two in the morning.

The Irish were the only team who not only had no spare bicycles, but didn’t even have any spare wheels. As a team, the Irish ranked 11th and, individually, Mick finished 68th and John was in
81st place.
During the rebellion, Mick Walker also acted as a courier, and, being a familiar sight on
his bicycle on the streets of Dublin, he successfully delivered many dispatches without challenge.

While James Connolly was the effective military leader inside the GPO, Pádraig Pearse as President of the Provisional Government continued to issue messages to the public. On day 2 of the rising, Pearse issued the &quot;Irish War News&quot; giving news of the rising. This took the form of a mini newspaper written inside the GPO and printed nearby. Its purpose was to rally public support for the rising and call for an end to the looting which was still happening.

Thomas Kent: Born in 1865, Kent was arrested at his home in Castlelyons, Co. Cork following a raid by the Royal Irish Constabulary on 22 April 1916, during which his brother Richard was fatally wounded. It had been his intention to travel to Dublin to participate in the Rising, but when the mobilisation order for the Irish Volunteers was cancelled on Easter Sunday he assumed that the Rising had been postponed, leading him to stay at home. He was executed at Cork Detention Barracks on 9 May 1916 following a court martial. In 1966 the railway station in Cork was renamed Kent Station in his honour.

Eventually the Kents were forced to surrender, although Richard made a last minute dash for freedom and was fatally wounded. During the siege Thomas Kents mother kept the guns loaded for her sons. Thomas and William were tried by court martial on the charge of armed rebellion. William was acquitted, but Thomas was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in Cork on 9 May 1916. 

David Kent was brought to Dublin where he was charged with the same offence, found guilty and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted and he was sentenced to five years penal servitude. Apart from the singular case of Roger Casement, Thomas Kent was the only person outside of Dublin to be executed for his role in the events surrounding Easter Week. He was buried in the grounds of Cork Prison. In 2015 Thomas Kent was reburied and given a State Funeral with both the President and Taoiseach present.

There was a great deal of uncertainty about what was happening in the city. Rumours swept through Dublin about the imminent landing of thousands of Germans. There was still widespread confusion as to the number of rebels involved and the extent of the uprising. For the British Army, the key question was the extent to which Germany was involved in the rising. The only newspaper published was the Irish Times. It was strongly pro-Unionist. It devoted just three lines to reporting that a rising had taken place. In the absence of any hard news rumours continued to sweep the city.

The uprising was scheduled to start at 12.00 noon. Because the rising would be mainly Dublin based it was decided that the rebels would seize a number of key locations in Dublin. These included the GPO; Dublin Castle; The Four Courts; Boland&apos;s Mill as well as important approaches to the city such as Mount Street Bridge.

Pearse and Connolly were in the last group to leave the GPO. Because of his injuries, Connolly was carried on a stretcher. They found shelter in a grocer&apos;s shop at the corner of Henry Place and Moore Street. Included in this group was Nurse Elizabeth O Farrell who later played a key role in the surrender of the rebels.

On Saturday a decision was made to seek terms of surrender. At 12.45 pm Nurse Elizabeth O Farrell emerged from the shop in Moore Street with a white flag. The shooting subsided and she was brought to General Lowe bearing a message from Pearse that he wanted to discuss terms of surrender. General Lowe sent her back with a demand for unconditional surrender. At 2.30 pm Pearse, accompanied by Elizabeth O Farrell, surrendered to General Lowe at the top of Moore Street.

At 12.00, the main group of about 150 led by Pearse, Connolly and MacDonagh made the short journey on foot from Liberty Hall to the GPO. As well as rifles, some of the rebels carried pikes and even sledge hammers and pick axes. A horse drawn wagon followed them bringing food and supplies. The GPO was regarded as an important building particularly as it controlled important communications such as the telegraph service and the telephones. There were just a few customers inside the GPO including a British Army officer who was there buying stamps. All were surprised to hear the rebels declaring that they were taking over the building. The officer was taken prisoner. The GPO had an armed guard of a sergeant and 6 soldiers. Several shots were fired but luck was on the side of the rebels as it turned out that while these soldiers had guns they had not been given any ammunition!

Thursday night saw continuous shelling of O Connell Street while at the same time the cordon around the Four Courts and the GPO gradually tightened. By Friday morning much of the GPO was on fire and sections of the roof were collapsing. It was obvious to the rebels inside that they would have to evacuate the building. One plan considered was to tunnel through adjoining buildings and join up with the Four Courts garrison. However, this was not possible because of the worsening military situation.

The executions continued until May 12th. At this stage, 15 of the leaders and those thought to have been involved in the planning of the rising were dead. The determination of General Maxwell to continue with these executions gradually started to shift public opinion onto the side of the rebels. By May 10th, newspapers such as The Irish Times and The Irish Independent, both of which strongly condemned the rising, were calling for an end to the executions. General Maxwell ignored these calls and James Connolly and Sean MacDermott were executed on the morning of May 12th. Roger Casement was executed in London later that year for treason. 

Roger Casement: Born in 1864 in Dublin, Casement was knighted for his services to the British consulate. He campaigned tirelessly to expose the cruelty inflicted on native workers in the Belgian Congo in 1904, and again in Brazil from 1911-1912, causing an international sensation with his reportage. Casement had become a member of the Gaelic League in 1904, beginning at that time to write nationalist articles under the pseudonym ‘Seán Bhean Bhocht’. He retired from the British consular service in 1913, after which he joined the Irish Volunteers. Casement was despatched to Germany on account of his experience to raise an Irish Brigade from Irish prisoners of war.

Amongst the first to feel the presence of the British reinforcements were those holding St. Stephen&apos;s Green. Unknown to them, a party of over 100 soldiers took up positions in the Shelbourne Hotel, overlooking St. Stephen&apos;s Green, before dawn. At first light they opened fire on the rebels in the park below forcing them to flee into the nearby College of Surgeons. Several rebels were killed and taking St. Stephen&apos;s Green proved to be a major mistake by the rebels.

This photograph shows the damage inflicted on the GPO during the Easter Rising. 

One of the first acts by the Irish Citizen Army in the Rising was to occupy St Stephen’s Green. However, with so many large buildings overlooking the Green (including the Shelbourne Hotel) and not enough men to occupy a useful number of them, the rebels’ position rapidly become untenable. British forces, particularly from the Shelbourne, swept the Green with gunfire, and the rebels were forced to withdraw to the College of Surgeons.

Nevertheless, things weren’t so bad for the park’s feathered inhabitants. The Times History of the War recorded that St Stephen’s Green “was well stocked with waterfowl, and the keeper, who remained inside all the time, reported that his charges were well looked after and fed by him, and were very little perturbed by the bullets flying over their heads”.
The park-keeper’s name was James Kearney – every day he would enter the Green twice a day to feed the ducks, and every day the opposing sides would cease firing to allow him to do so.

The Easter Proclamation was a radical document and contained some things which had not been introduced in other countries such as equal rights for men and women. It also declared the right of the Irish people to an independent Ireland. It was signed by the 7 leaders of the rising, Pádraig Pearse, Thomas Clarke, James Connolly, Thomas McDonagh, Sean Mac Diarmada, Eamonn Ceannt and Joseph Plunkett.

Michael Mallin: A silk weaver by trade, Mallin was born in Dublin in 1874. Along with Countess Markievicz, he commanded a small contingent of the Irish Citizen Army, of which he was Chief of Staff, taking possession of St. Stephen’s Green and the Royal College of Surgeons. He was executed on 8 May 1916.

Rumours swept Dublin during the rising. Most of these rumours such as those about the landing of Germans were false. The publication of newspapers was severely disrupted by the fighting. The Irish Times strongly condemned the rebellion saying &apos;sedition must be rooted out of Ireland once and for all&apos;. The Irish Independent also condemned the rising calling it &apos;wicked and insane&apos;. The rebels were keenly aware of the importance of getting their message across to the public and this was why they had decided to print their own newspaper The Irish War News. This &apos;newspaper&apos; was produced by the rebels with the aim of rallying support rather than telling exactly what was happening.

Michael Collins was born in Clonakilty, County Cork. After joining the civil service he moved to London in 1906. He developed a keen interest in Irish politics and joined the Gaelic League and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). He became convinced that independence could only be achieved by force. Aware that a rising was being planned, he returned to Ireland and served as aide to Joseph Plunkett in the GPO during Easter week. After the rising he was arrested and sent to prison at Frongoch, North Wales. He was released at Christmas 1916 and came back to Ireland. Immediately he set about the rebuilding of the IRB. In 1917, he was elected as an MP and effectively controlled the Irish Volunteers.

Eamonn Ceannt was born in County Galway. He was a teacher in the Gaelic League. He had a keen interest in Irish music and played the uilleann pipes. He was also a member of the IRB and he helped set up the Irish Volunteers.

In the summer of 1913 employers in Dublin decided not to employ any man who was a member of Larkins Union, the ITGWU. Larkin reacted by calling a general strike which began on 26 August 1913. 700 tramway men walked off their trams leaving them scattered throughout the city. The employers reacted by locking their businesses to the workers. In total approximately 20,000 workers were involved. Larkin called for a meeting on O&apos;Connell Street for the Sunday 31 August. The police banned the meeting but Larkin, wearing a disguise spoke to the crowd from the balcony of the Imperial Hotel. The police stormed the hotel and arrested Larkin. They also baton charged the crowd killing 2 and injuring hundreds more. The day became known as Bloody Sunday.

The Lockout lasted until the early months of 1914. By this time many people were short of food and fuel. Soup kitchens were set up to feed the workers and many people in Britain sent supplies to keep people fed. By the end of January 1914 many workers had returned to their jobs. They had been starved into submission. In October 1914 Larkin travelled to the United States to raise money. James Connolly became the day to day leader of the ITGWU. 

Easter Monday was a bank holiday. It was a bright and pleasant day and there was a relaxed atmosphere in Dublin. Large crowds had left the city for the seaside or to attend the Irish Grand National horse race taking place in Fairyhouse that same day. At 11.00 am the rebels started to assemble at Liberty Hall. In total, there was a turn out of about 1,200 men (including about 200 members of Connolly&apos;s Irish Citizen Army). This was much smaller than had been expected. The cancelling of Sunday&apos;s parade had created a lot of confusion and the loss of the Aud had not helped either and as a result the volunteers were poorly armed. There was nothing very surprising in the sight of armed men on the streets. In recent years, the people of Dublin had become used to the sight of both the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers drilling and parading.

John MacBride: Born in Mayo in 1865. Although he initially trained as a doctor, MacBride abandoned that profession in favour of work with a chemist. He travelled to America in 1896 to further the aims of the I. R. B., thereafter travelling to South Africa where he raised the Irish Transvaal Brigade during the Second Boer War. MacBride married the Irish nationalist Maude Gonne in 1903. He was not a member of the Irish Volunteers, but upon the beginning of the Rising he offered his services to Thomas MacDonagh, and was at Jacob’s biscuit factory when that post was surrendered on Sunday, 30 April 1916. He was executed on 5 May 1916.

“I asked my father who this man was. I thought he was rather out of place lying down on a mattress in the middle of a revolution. I didn’t think that he was much of a leader. And I remember my father said ‘That’s Joe Plunkett, and he has more courage in his little finger than all the other leaders combined&quot;. By Friday the men holding the GPO, Plunkett among them, decided they had to abandon their position there, and so made their way to Moore Street. It was here, on Saturday, April 29, that he wrote what he expected to be his last letter to Grace. After the surrender, he was tried and sentenced to death for his part in the Rising.

The Easter Rising brought large scale death and destruction to the streets of Dublin. In all, 142 British soldiers and police were killed while 64 rebels were killed. A total of 254 civilians were killed during the week, many of them caught in crossfire. An estimated 2,000 people were injured during the fighting. In addition to the loss of life, large sections of the centre of Dublin had been destroyed especially in and around O’Connell Street.

Born in Liverpool to Irish parents Jim Larkin founded the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in Dublin to look after the interests of workers in Ireland. In the run up to 1913 Larkin along with James Connolly organised a series of strikes. This led to a great deal of disorder in Dublin and many of the cities employers had begun to tire of Larkin and his Union.  Things came to a head in August 1913. 

James Connolly was born in Scotland to Irish parents. After some time in the British Army he became a trade unionist. He was involved with the 1913 Lockout when workers were locked out by employers after demanding higher wages. He became leader of The Irish Citizen Army which was set up to defend workers against attacks during the lockout.

Thomas McDonagh was born in County Tipperary. He joined the Gaelic League and met Pearse while on a visit to the Aran Islands. He taught at St. Enda&apos;s, Pearse&apos;s school and was very interested in theatre and writing.

Across Dublin fierce fighting continued. The military continued in its strategy of isolating these pockets of resistance. Areas around the Four Courts, the College of Surgeons, the South Dublin Union (St. James’ Hospital) and Mount Street Bridge saw some of the heaviest fighting. Meanwhile, British reinforcements continued to arrive at Kingstown (now called Dun Laoire). One such group, the Sherwood Foresters, were pleasantly surprised when they were greeted by well wishers on arrival in Kingstown. At this stage in the rising public support was not with the rebels. They started to march on foot to Dublin coming under heavy fire from buildings near Mount Street Bridge. They were ordered forward by their commander even though they were unprepared for such an ambush and they suffered heavy casualties.

Final preparations now began. A proclamation was drafted and plans were made to have it printed. This would be similar to a poster and when the rising began, it was intended to tell the general public why the rising was taking place. They printed the proclamation in Liberty Hall, the headquarters of James Connolly&apos;s trade union. There had been numerous raids on Liberty Hall by the British army and some of the printing equipment had been confiscated by the police. The printers worked through the night hoping they would not be discovered. They eventually printed 2,500 copies of the proclamation.

Inside the GPO, the deployment of artillery onto the streets of Dublin meant that the relative calm of the previous two days had ended abruptly. There could be no doubt now about the intentions of the military. Despite this spirits remained high and there was still contact between the different rebel positions.

By the end of Tuesday, the military were beginning to get a better picture of the numbers involved in the rising. Plans were at an advanced stage to bring artillery to Dublin and to bomb the enemy positions. For ordinary civilians life was becoming more difficult. There were no shops open and Martial Law and the constant shooting meant that it was too dangerous for people to venture out. There were also still no police on the streets and the looting of shops continued.

This video shows some of the destruction caused to Dublin City Centre during the Easter Rising of 1916. 

By Thursday morning the cordon around the Four Courts and the GPO continued to tighten further. There was now continuous shelling and much of O’Connell Street had either been destroyed or was on fire. The military now outnumbered the rebels by an estimated 20 to 1. The GPO in particular was under constant attack. While supervising the erection of a barricade in a nearby street, James Connolly was wounded in the ankle and had to be helped back to the GPO. At about 10 pm on Thursday evening, an oil depot opposite the GPO exploded sending flames high into the night sky.

There were mixed spirits amongst the rebels with many believing that, without adequate numbers and weapons, they were facing certain defeat. Nevertheless, they were determined to press ahead with the uprising. Spirits lifted somewhat when The O&apos;Rahilly arrived. He was a famous figure in Ireland and had spent the weekend driving around Ireland telling people about the cancelling of the rising. But he changed his mind and decided to join up with those who were fighting. He said “I&apos;ve helped to wind up the clock - I might as well hear it strike”.

The rebels now began making the GPO secure. Connolly assumed military control. The glass in the front windows was broken and benches and tables were are piled high in expectation of a counter attack. The surrounding buildings were taken over in case of an attack on the GPO. On the roof of the GPO snipers took up positions. Two flags were hoisted: one a tricolour and the other a green flag with the words Irish Republic. Pearse and Connolly emerged from the building and read the Proclamation declaring the establishment of an Irish Republic. Copies of the Proclamation were then displayed in prominent positions. One was placed on the ground at the base of the Nelson&apos;s Pillar column. Onlookers gathered outside with many not realising what was happening.

Michael O’Hanrahan: Born in Wexford in 1877. As a young man, O’Hanrahan showed great promise as a writer, becoming heavily involved in the promotion of the Irish language. He founded the first Carlow branch of the Gaelic League, and published two novels, A Swordsman of the Brigade and When the Norman Came. Like many of the other executed leaders, he joined the Irish Volunteers from their inception, and was second in command to Thomas MacDonagh at Jacob’s biscuit factory during the Rising, although this position was largely usurped by the arrival of John MacBride. His execution took place on 4 May 1916.

He was a well known figure in Dublin. He was educated at UCD and was a friend of James Joyce. Skeffington worked as registrar of the college for two years, during which time he married Hanna Sheehy, a member of a Co Cork nationalist family. Francis played a leading part in the women’s suffrage movement and acted as editor of The Irish Citizen. During the 1913 lock-out he was a member of the Peace Committee which was established to reconcile the two sides. A dedicated pacifist he became a vice-chairman of the Irish Citizen Army on its foundation in 1913, but left when it adopted a political and military stance.

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Major John Lowe is present in one of the most famous and commonly reproduced photographs taken during the Rising – the moment of Pearse’s surrender as captured on Saturday April 29th.
The picture shows Commander of Dublin Forces in Ireland, Brigadier General Lowe, (Major Lowe’s father) facing a clearly un-humbled Pearse, who is offering his surrender.
John Lowe’s army service didn’t end in Ireland; he served in Gallipoli, Egypt and the Somme before being taken prisoner by the Germans in 1918. When the war ended, Lowe tried his hand at acting in the German film industry – thereby starting down a career path which would eventually lead him to change his name in order to keep his acting career quiet from his disapproving father. So John Lowe became John Loder, eventually moving to Hollywood, California, where he gained fame in movies and on stage and TV.

During the War of Independence Collins played a vital role in co-ordinating the IRA&apos;s military campaign. His undercover network especially in Dublin was renowned. His &quot;squad&quot; eliminated the British government&apos;s intelligence sources in the city. He was then sent to London to negotiate The Treaty with the British Government. However when he returned to Ireland differences emerged with some believing the treaty was as good an agreement as could be expected and others believing that giving away 6 counties was too much. This led to a Civil War.

When war began, Collins became Commander-in-Chief of the Free State Army and helped lay down the military strategy which enabled the pro-Treaty troops to emerge triumphant.
Collins was shot dead at Béal na mBláth County Cork on 22nd August 1922, while on an inspection tour of Munster and searching for a basis for peace.

At 8:00 PM on May 3, he and Grace were married in the chapel in Kilmainham Gaol where the only witnesses were British soldiers. He was executed a few hours later. Just before he faced the firing squad he said &quot;I am happy I am dying for the glory of God and the honour of Ireland.
As the widow of the heroic Plunkett, Grace played her part in the wars that followed, including the Civil War, and was arrested in February, 1923, and imprisoned in Kilmainham.
She had difficulty supporting herself afterward, until in 1932 she received a Civil List pension from Éamon de Valera&apos;s government.

She never married again and died alone in 1955. She was buried with full military honors and the president attended her funeral. Their poignant story was commemorated in the song &quot;Grace”, written in 1985 by Frank and Seán O&apos;Meara. This is a video recording of the song which also gives the background to the song.

Joseph Plunkett was a poet and was interested in the theatre. He suffered from poor health throughout his life and was only weeks away from dying when he took part in the Rising. He is regarded as one of the main military planners of the rising.

Edward Daly: Born in Limerick in 1891, Daly’s family had a history of republican activity. His uncle John Daly had taken part in the rebellion of 1867. Edward Daly led the First Battalion during the Rising, which raided the Bridewell and Linenhall Barracks, eventually seizing control of the Four Courts. A close friend of Tom Clarke, their ties were made even stronger by the marriage of Clarke to Daly’s sister. Daly was executed on 4 May 1916.

Born in Co Mayo, she was the daughter of a Church of Ireland rector and related to Countess Markievicz. Lynn qualified as a doctor in 1899 and in 1904 set up a practice in Rathmines, Dublin. She was a feminist, socialist and nationalist who assisted hunger-striking suffragettes. In 1913 she became a supporter of the labour movement and subsequently joined the Irish Citizen Army. She was stationed at City Hall during the Rising and was chief medical officer. Lynn later practiced as a doctor during the War of Independence and in 1919 established the first infant hospital in Ireland, St Ultan’s, with her friend Madelaine French-Mullen. For a period, the establishment was entirely staffed by women. In 1955, Lynn was buried with full military honours for the role she played in the Rising, at Deansgrange Cemetery, Dublin.

General Maxwell decided to pursue a tough policy against the leaders of the rising. Following court martial, Pearse, McDonagh and Clarke were executed by firing squad in Kilmainham Gaol on the morning of May 3rd. This was followed in later days by the execution of the remaining signatories of the Easter Proclamation and any others thought to have been involved in its planning. In addition, General Maxwell ordered the arrest and imprisonment of a further 3,500 people thought to be sympathetic to the rising. This meant that about three times the number who took part in the rising had now been arrested.

Eventually it was decided to try to escape via Henry Street and establish a new headquarters somewhere near there. The narrow streets around Henry Street and Moore Street were filled with smoke from the burning buildings. There was a great deal of confusion. In addition, nobody was quite sure exactly where the British military cordon was. Several groups of rebels tried to make their way down Henry Street but came under heavy fire. One of the casualties was The O&apos;Rahilly who had come to Liberty Hall on Easter Monday.

In 1916 Ireland was part of the British Empire and the Union Jack flag flew from public buildings. Post boxes were painted red and many Irishmen joined the British army to serve in places as far away as India. But there were many in Ireland who began to believe that Ireland was a country in its own right and should not be ruled from London. There was a growing interest in Ireland at the time for Irish culture, literature and sport. There were also many people in Ireland who felt that we should remain part of the United kingdom but that we should be allowed to make our own laws. This was called Home Rule. In the North East of Ireland, a group known as Unionists did not want this and wanted to remain completely within the United Kingdom with its parliament in Westminster. At the time, however, the government in London needed the votes of the Irish members of parliament and so they agreed that Home Rule should be provided to Ireland. But then World War I started and Home Rule was removed and all decisions about Ireland were made in London.

The situation in Dublin was now critical. With most shops closed since Monday there was a widespread shortage of basic food items such as bread and milk. With large numbers of British soldiers in the city, the military had taken much of the available food. Even relatively wealthy families were forced to go out in search of food supplies.

A shortage of uniforms meant that many of the rebels were dressed in civilian clothes. Although this made it easier for the rebels to move about, it also made movement for civilians very dangerous. Again the looting continued between the fighting. At this point the looters were in danger from both the rebels and the British military.

William Pearse: Born in 1881 in Dublin. The younger brother of Patrick, William shared his brother’s passion for an independent Ireland. He assisted Patrick in running St. Enda’s. The two brothers were extremely close, and fought alongside each other in the G. P. O. William was executed on 4 May 1916. Pearse railway station on Westland Row in Dublin was re-named in honour of the two brothers in 1966.

Con Colbert: Born in 1888, Colbert was a native of Limerick. Prior to the Easter Rising he had been an active member of the republican movement, joining both Fianna Éireann and the Irish Volunteers. A dedicated pioneer, Colbert was known not to drink or smoke. As the captain of F Company of the Fourth Battalion, Colbert was in command at the Marrowbone Lane distillery when it was surrendered on Sunday, 30 April 1916. His execution took place on 8 May 1916.

The first problems emerged when the Aud failed to make contact with the IRB in Kerry. The ship was eventually challenged by the British Navy and the captain had no choice but to sink the Aud and her cargo of weapons on Easter Saturday. Roger Casement, one of those responsible for importing the arms, was also captured by the police. In a further blow, Eoin MacNeill became aware of the plans for the rising. He was very angry that the Irish Volunteers were being used in this way and he placed a newspaper advertisement cancelling the Easter Sunday “parades.” This caused a lot of confusion amongst the volunteers with most now believing that the rising had been cancelled. Without the turn out of the Irish Volunteers and the weapons on board the scuttled Aud, the prospects for Sunday&apos;s planned rising did not look very good. The leaders met, wondering whether they should postpone the rising to another time or go ahead without the help of the German guns. They decided to instead to begin the rising on Easter Monday.

Unknown to the rebels, General Sir John Maxwell arrived in Dublin from England at 2pm that day. He took over command and issued a proclamation promising tough action against the rebels. The military were unaware that the GPO had been abandoned and continued their attacks on the building. By Friday night the GPO was nothing more than a shell. Fierce street fighting continued especially in the North King&apos;s Street area as the military began to close the cordon. With the increased military pressure, many rebels took to the roofs and operated as snipers. Moving from building to building, they were able to strike at will and proved difficult targets for the military.

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