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AWARD WINNING TOUR IN DUBLIN

EASTER RISING COACH TOUR

EASTER RISING COACH TOUR

ATTENTION COACH and TOUR OPERATORS

ATTENTION COACH and TOUR OPERATORS
Our friendly and excellent guides are available as Step On Guides for any visiting tour or coach operators who may like a unique, entertaining and educational tour of Irish History and the events of Easter Week 1916.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

David Bourke, The Man of History or a Man of Mystery?



For many writers on the events during Easter week 1916 the witness of Fergus O’Kelly has been both a starting point and a historical document to be accepted as the truth but alas sometimes with the passage of time and the confusion of the battle some facts merge without intention to mislead.

This is perhaps the case with O’Kelly’s naming of David Bourke (or sometimes Burke) as one of the men who assisted him with the launching of the rebel’s radio station in Reis’s Chambers on O’Connell Street.

“In March and April 1916, I was closely in touch with Joseph and Jack Plunkett and was frequently at their house at Larkfield: Some wireless apparatus was assembled by the Plunkett’s and two others named Con Keating and David Bourke. These two were qualified Marconi operators.

On Holy Thursday 1916, Joseph Plunkett discussed who would go away immediately and sent Con Keating and David Burke to terry. Their mission was to obtain wireless apparatus from the wireless station at Valencia, Kerry, and there were rumours of arms to be landed and distributed up the west to counties Galway and Mayo.

Meanwhile, David Burke had tackled the connecting up of the transmitting plant and putting it into commission. The apparatus was a standard l1/2 K.W. ship's set and so was familiar to Burke as a Marconi operator. It was found that the electric power from the Pigeon House Station was still on, and so the motor convertor supplying the power for operating the set was available.”

DOCUMENT NO. W.S. 351
Fergus O'Kelly, 26 Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin.


“Bourke David J. (Dáití de Burca). Dublin Brigade, Irish Volunteers. Born in 1890 died on the 28th of July 1978, aged about 26 years old at the time of the Rising. Fought at Reis's Building, the Hibernian Bank and the G.P.O. He joined the Volunteers in 1913. He arrived in Dublin from Limerick on the Wednesday before the Rising and stayed with the Kimmage Garrison at Plunkett’s house. He was arrested after the surrender and deported to Knutsford, he was released sometime at the end of July or beginning of August. After release he returned to Limerick and joined the Volunteers there, he served through the War of Independence and served as Battalion Officer Commanding and later served with the Cork Flying Column. He took the Anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and was a member of several Flying Columns. He was arrested in Limerick in September 1922 and detained at the Curragh and Harepark until about May or June 1923.”

And these facts are listed in Jimmy Wren’s excellent book ‘The GPO Garrison” but when this author talked to Jimmy even he said that he used O’Kelly’s Witness Statement as the basis of Bourke’s involvement in the Rising.

But in the list of garrison members on http://1916rebellionmuseum.com/1916-easter-rising/roll-of-honour/gpo-oconnell-street-garrison/ David Bourke or David Burke is not on the list of rebels who fought in 1916.

Bourke is not mentioned in any of the other witness statements or papers of the other Volunteers who were stationed in Reis’s Chambers. He has become a man of mystery. But rather than ‘Bourke’ being the other radio man in the outpost it was most probably Londoner Paddy O’Donoghue. So why did Fergus O’Kelly name ‘Bourke’?

He may have wanted to protect the identity of O’Donoghue as the Londoner was not captured after the rebellion and made his way back to London. Some men used pseudonyms because of a lack of trust as there were many English volunteers based in Reis’s Chambers or O’Kelly may have simply been mistaken.

Don’t forget to find out more about the Rising by taking the 1916 Easter Rising Coach Tour. Book today at 1916easterrisingcoachtour@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Great Tour Reviews


Easter maybe over but the real centenary comes on April 24th - May 12th 2016. Book your tour now and relive the history of the 1916 Easter Rising.
http://www.1916easterrisingcoachtour.ie/

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Who Was Pearse's Mystery Lady?


In a court case that appeared in the Dublin newspapers in March 1916, Patrick Pearse was a witness in a case against a taxi driver who was driving outside his licensed area. The case was dismissed but in the back of the taxi when it was stopped in Grafton Street on it's way from Harcourt Street was Pearse and 'a lady'. Who was this lady?


BOOK YOUR 1916 EASTER RISING COACH TOUR TODAY AT
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Saturday, March 19, 2016

BOOK YOUR TOUR TODAY

THE ORIGINAL 1916 EASTER RISING COACH TOUR (EST 2011) IS NOW TAKING BOOKINGS. TOURS MONDAY - THURSDAY 2PM, FRIDAY - SUNDAY 12 NOON & 3PM. YOU CAN ALSO BOOK THE TOUR FOR PRIVATE HIRE, CORPORATE TOURS AND SCHOOLS EXCURSIONS. CONTACT 1916easterrisingcoachtour@gmail.com

The GAA & The Easter Rising in 1966

With an advertised ‘cast of 500’ the GAA’s main event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1966 was ‘Seachtar Fear, Seacht La’ performed at Croke Park. This specially commissioned pageant was written by Kerryman Bryan McMahon. The ninety minute show featured the lives of the signatories of the Proclamation and featured a young Niall Tobin in the role of Patrick Pearse. Supporting the dramatic roles was the music performed by The Artane Boys Band and the Black Raven pipe band.



The show cost an estimated £6,000 to stage with admission costing five schillings. Beginning at 8.20pm nightly it was staged on three consecutive nights from St Patricks Day until the 19th of March. Initially there was an agreement that RTE would film the event for transmission but they failed to reach an agreement with the actors’ union equity and recording required an extra daytime show as the night time productions could not be recorded for television in those early days of Telifis Eireann.  

This led to much tit for tat criticism but eventually an agreement was reached and an extra show was performed in Croke Park on Saturday April 2nd with transmission the following night. The show was also performed in Tipperary and at Casement Park in Belfast.


In 2016 ‘Seachtar Fear - Seacht Lá’ will form the centrepiece of the ceremonies marking the official opening of the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann on Sunday, 14th August 2016.   The county grounds of Cusack Park in Clare will play host to the event.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

St. Patrick's Day 1916


On St. Patrick's Day March 17th 1916 many of the usual holiday festivities were curtailed in deference to the Irishmen who were fighting on the Western Front, but many parades did take place across the country with thousands of uniformed and armed Irish Volunteers marching through the streets. Dublin and Cork had the two biggest parades but from major towns to villages all across Ireland parades took place and the British failed to act to prevent these militias marching in formation down the streets.



Saturday, March 5, 2016

Patrick Pearse Plays At Croke Park


Many famous names over the decades have graced the field of dreams that is Croke Park, home of the GAA on Dublin's northside. Paudi O'Shea, Kevi Heffernan, Eddie Kerr and Henry Shefflin are just some of the names that have entered Irish sporting folklore but less well known is the fact that Eamonn Ceannt, Patrick and Willie Pearse have also appeared in Croke Park.

From June 9th to the 14th 1913 a pagent and fete was staged on the hallowed turf in aid of Pearse's school St. Enda's in Rathfarnham. With admission prices of 3d (three old pence) and 6d (half a schilling) special arc lights were installed for the night time shows.

The shows began at 7.30pm on June 9th with the opening ceremony performed by the future President of Ireland Douglas Hyde. First on stage was the St James Band followed by an al fresco concert that included the uileann pipe playing of Eamonn Ceannt.

Everything did not go according to plan on the first night as despite its staging during the summer rain affected proceedings and the show ended early. On another night there was a special display by Na Fianna Eireann. According to news reports on the day the fete was a success generating some welcome funds for the school in Rathfarnham.


One final newspaper report did show that after the final night one of the arc lights was not extinguished properly and it started a fire that destroyed one of the wooden stands at Croke Park.

TOUR
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