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CANCELLATIONS - JANUARY 3RD 2012

DUE TO A CANCELLATION THERE ARE A SMALL NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE ON A SPECIAL TOUR ON TUESDAY JANUARY 3RD 2012 DEPARTING AT 3PM.
THIS TOUR MAY SUIT PARENTS WITH CHILDREN ON THEIR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.
(TOUR SUBJECT TO POSTPONEMENT DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS)

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CHECK OUT THE FILMED RECORDING OF THIS REMARKABLE EVENTS OF THE 1916 EASTER RISING

FREE GERMAN CASH?

Germany and its people have been at the heart of Ireland politics since the start of the 20th Century. During the build up to the Easter Rising they willingly sold weapons and ammunition to both The Irish Volunteers and the Ulster Volunteers creating the scenario of a possible civil war on this island, yet their reasoning was self serving by causing problems for the British Government who they were fighting on the fields of France and Flanders. German naval officers became prisoners of war during the 1916 Easter Rising and U Boats landed men like Casement off the West Coast of Ireland.

During the Second Wold War, Germany parachuted spies and agitators into the country attempting to usurp the legitimate Government of the nation and yet again attempting to create instability on the island of Ireland.

Today our sovereign Government is answerable to the Government in Germany as our banking and financial crisis has caused a meltdown. Our budgetary plans are leaked to the German Parliament before our own Dail. The Germans are providing the impetuous for the Euro bailout of Ireland and their demands of its citizens of this nation that they once tried so desperately to create in the 1916 are crippling and sovereignty busting.

Germany has lost two world wars and was decimated both financially and structurally by both yet it is Germany who are now dominating policy in all of Europe, our once proud neutrality shattered. Their place at the epicentre of Europe that was once espoused forcibly by the Kaiser and the Fuhrer is now democratically the sole preserve of Chancellor Merkel.

Perhaps its is sad that the 35 million Irish in America have forgotten about their roots and since 1916 have done little financially or with commitment to assist their 'motherland'. We as a nation should have been able to turn to our own to help the nation. I know that everyone is suffering globally but The Irish American community have often talked the talk but never walked the walk except when perhaps financially supporting organisations who wanted to see a revolutionary and militaristic change in the Irish nation.

THE LOUTH REBELLION

While Dublin was the epicentre of the Easter Rising there was some action outside the confines of the capital. Apart from Galway, Ashbourne and Enniscorthy, the Volunteers drilled and trained in Dundalk County Louth saw action as they made their way to assist their comrades in Dublin. Led by Dan Hannigan there first confrontation with the enemy as they believed was the accidental shooting a local at a rebel checkpoint when the gun belonging to Sean McEntee went off. Struggling to make any progress on foot, the company of rebels hijacked a number of cars taking punters home northwards from the race meeting at Fairyhouse. The rebels held onto the drivers as they were unable to drive themselves. Their next engagement was at Castlebellingham where they captured and made prisoners of the two local policemen. They then raided the grocery shops for provisions seizing them in the name of the new Irish Republic. While in charge of the town another policemen arrived on a bicycle but was more stubborn than his colleagues when it came to surrendering to the rebels. It was only after encouragement from his colleagues did he surrender and hand over his weapon. Just as the rebels were about to reboard the cars another car entered town with a driver and a British soldier. The soldier surrendered to the rebels only after a heated argument.

As the rebels were about to continue their journey to Dublin a shot rang out and as Sean McEntee wrote in his book he looked back at the point in the hedge where the prisoners of war were being held and saw the officer slump to the ground. It was only later at his court martial that he realised that the officer had been injured by the same shot that had killed RIC Constable Magee.

The rebels rested in the hijacked cars in a secluded field overnight and the following morning following reports of up to 5000 British troops in Dunslaughlin decided to release the drivers with the rebels conscious of doing the right thing within the new Republic gave their captives money for food and their fare home if they could get a train or bus with the rebellion in full swing.

McEntee then walked the rest of the journey into Dublin via Finglas joining up with the rebel forces in the GPO on Wednesday morning. He was sentenced to death in the aftermath of the Rising and served his commuted sentence before being released in 1917 and going on to serve as Government Minister in a number of cabinets.

THE IRISH SUBMARINE FLEET

WHO KNEW IRELAND HAD MINISTERIAL SUBMARINES.

INTO BATTLE WENT THE MEN OF THE NEW REPUBLIC

On April 8th 1916, a notice placed in the Irish Independent newspaper it stated;
‘Following the success of last year, every unit of the Irish Volunteers will hold manoeuvres during the Easter holidays. The object of the manoeuvres is to test mobilization with equipment.’
On Holy Saturday, Captain George Plunkett informed the men at Larkfield that any of the men who wished to attend mass or take confession should do so that night at the nearby Mount Argus Church. They were nervous, their date with destiny was quickly approaching, their stomachs sat uneasily and their minds and their concentration was far from the sermon being delivered by the priest that night.

Sunday morning dawned and after the rain of the past couple of days, the spring morning was dry and calm. The arrival of the Sunday Independent left the men bemused and confused. The previous Thursday, Eoin McNeill leader of the Irish Volunteers discovered the full extent of the secret plans for a rebellion hatched by an inner cabinet of the Volunteers members who were also in the Irish republican Brotherhood.. Initially McNeill had been reluctantly in favour of the plans but upon hearing the news of the capture of Roger Casement and the sinking of the Aud be ordered the plans be cancelled. Pearse and company refused to call off the rebellion and so McNeill took matters in his own hand believing that a rebellion was at that time doomed to yet another failure no matter how heroic and placed the newspaper add. As the men at Kimmage read the notice they speculated that it
may be a special branch trick to divide and then conquer. The men waited in the courtyard most of the morning waiting for the confusion to be cleared. Eventually Captain Plunkett told the men to stand down. The men spent the rest of the afternoon digesting a number of cakes and sweets delivered to the garrison to celebrate Easter by Cumman na mBan. The men sat around in small groups discussing the runners and riders in the Easter Monday Grand National horse race at Fairyhouse. Many of the men picked out the aptly named ‘Civil War’ as their favourite. A couple of the men mused that they maybe allowed to go out in the afternoon to Croydon Avenue to watch the soccer match between Shamrock Rovers and Strandville but this was a military barracks and as far as the commanders were concerned all leave was cancelled. Some of men played cards, twenty five, trumps and poker nut as George Plunkett meandered through the men he found it hard to lift their spirits and moral.

Bank Holiday Monday, April 24th 1916, just after ten a.m., a despatch arrived at Larkfield delivered by Sean McLoughlin and immediately Captain Plunkett approached his men who were just gathering themselves together after the disappointment of the previous day. He began to read the message but before he could complete it, the men had scattered to put on what ever uniform they had and to retrieve their weapons, if they had one. The despatch ordered the Kimmage Garrison to attend immediately for parade at Beresford Place, in front of the Irish Citizens Headquarters at Liberty Hall on the Liffey Quays. The men marched off to an unknown destiny down towards Harold’s Cross past Mount Argus Church. A Dublin Tramway Company tram trundled along in the men’s direction also heading into the city centre. One of the cups of Bovril advertised on the side of the tram would have been gratefully accepted by some of the men to settle their nerves. Captain Plunkett hailed the tram and clambered aboard.
‘Fifty seven tuppenny tickets please’ said Plunkett eager to do the right thing when it would have been easier to commandeer the tram at gunpoint but he did not wish to set the wrong impression of the new Irish army. Plunkett produced two ten bob notes and moved towards the rest of the men who had taken up the unoccupied seats on board. Volunteer John Brennan prodded the driver with the barrel of his Howth Mauser,
‘and don’t stop ‘till we get to O’Connell Street.’
Fergus F. O’Kelly recounted his journey to the GPO revealing
‘I was put on a three and a half horse power Triumph (motor bike), shown how to start and stop it and sent off. I reached Beresford Place without any serious mishap and in good time.’

On the upper deck of the opened topped tram, Johnny O’Connor entertained his fellow volunteers and pedestrians below alike by playing his tin whistle with a number of traditional rousing Irish airs and a rendition of the ‘Gallant Men of 98’ written about those who fought in the 1798 Wolfe Tone led United Irishmen rebellion. He followed that with ‘The Heather Glen’ which had been used as a password at the Kimmage Garrison.
‘Good on ye Blimey!’ they roared.

DUBLIN THEATRE, A CASUALTY OF WAR

With the Easter Rising engulfing the city, the Dublin Theatre going public was one of the silent casualties of the Rising. With the outbreak of the rebellion on Easter Monday and martial law declared on the Tuesday, the stage lights went out for over two weeks in the city. But what could you have seen on the stages of the city during Easter Week 1916? The main theatre was The Theatre Royal on Hawkins Street and due on stage that week was vaudeville star Kitty Francis in a one act satire 'Mrs O'Malley's Reception' written by KF Welsh in 1914.

KITTY FRANCIS

At the Empire known today as The Olympia, Dublin pantomime favourite Madge Clifton was starring in what was described as a musical melange 'Shall Us'. The show was produced by legendary Dublin music hall producer Barney Armstrong whose funeral in October 1921 was featured on British Pathe Newsreels.

At the Gaeity Theatre on Easter Monday night you could have enjoyed D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera 'The Gondoliers'. The Opera company who specialised in comic operas had been founded in 1875 by Richard D'Oyly Carte and toured extensively entertaining packed houses.

The Coliseum was a theatre located on Henry Street that was completely destroyed as British artillery targeted the rebels in the GPO. Due on stage at the Coliseum was Les Trombettas a male/female comedy duo with the male star known for his bird impressions were the stars. Sharing top of the bill was Fred Barnes who had earned success in 1907 with the hit tune 'The Black Sheep of the Family'. Barnes was topping bills all over the UK and Europe but with success came heavy drinking and his open gay lifestyle haunted him in later life dying in 1938 aged 53.

The nationalist aspiring Abbey Street was about to present WB Yeat's Kathleen Ni Houlihan but action on the streets of the city intervened with their plans. Many of the Abbey actors and staff were directly involved in the action. Sean Connolly an actor was killed in action on the first day of the Rising as his squad attempted to storm Dublin Castle the then seat of British Government in Ireland. Fellow actor Arthur Shields was a member of the GPO garrison and was directly involved in launching the rebels very own radio station. Shields would later star in Hollywood with his brother in The Quiet Man and in 'How Green is My Valley' with John Loder who had stood beside his General father on Moore Street as Pearse unconditionally surrendered.

ARTHUR SHIELDS

ABBEY THEATRE COMMEMORATION TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THE 1916 RISING

Some of the theatres were also due to show British propaganda war movies but the action had jumped from the silent screen to the reality of the streets of Dublin.

Another casualty was C.H. Hyland who was shot dead on Percy Place during the Battle of Mount Street Bridge when he went to assist injured British soldiers and was shot dead by a rebel sniper in Clanwilliam House. Hyland's father was manager of the Gaeity Theatre.

BY THE NUMBERS

4.4 Million Population of 1916 Ireland (32 Counties)
200,000 Irishmen Serving in The British Army 1916
35,000 Irishmen K.I.A. in World War One
14,000 Irish Volunteers
1467 Rebels In Action Easter Week
5 Number of Irish rebels killed on Thursday April 27th 1916
538 Irishmen killed at Hulloch by a German gas attack on Thursday April 27th 1916
25,000 British Troops on the streets of Dublin by weeks end.
3500 Arrests
1800 Interned in the U.K.
90 Sentenced to Death
1 Woman Sentenced to Death
7 Signatories on the Proclamation
15 Executions
64 Rebel Killed in Action
132 British Army & Police Killed
260 Civilians Killed
2,500 Wounded
683767 Irish entitled to vote in December 1910 General Election
120700 Voted - just 20%
275 Buildings Completely Destroyed in the Centre of Dublin City
20,000 Rifles on Scuttled on board The Aud
1,000,000 Rounds of Ammunition
10 Machine Guns on Scuttled on board The Aud
0 Machine Guns landed with British reinforcements
22 German Prisoners of War
123.45 hours The Duration of the Irish Republic
1666 Acres the maximum size of Pearse's Irish Republic
2431 1916 Medals issued by the Irish Government
200,000 Annual Visitors to Kilmainham Jail
1997 Last survivor of the Easter Rising Lily Kempson passed away
2,411 days from the 1916 Surrender to creation of the Irish Free State after the War of Independence
15 Euro the cost of the 1916 Easter Rising Coach Tour
90 Minutes the duration of the Easter Rising Coach Tour

ALL ABOARD

In 1966 most of the nations railway stations were renamed in honour of the men who fought in 1916.

Westland Row - Pearse Street in honour of the Pearse brothers.
Amiens Street - Connolly Station (James Connolly)
Kingsbridge - Heuston Station (Sean Heuston)
(All Dublin)
Cork - Ceannt Station (Thomas Kent)
Limerick - Colbert Station (Con Colbert)
Dun Laoghaire - Mallin Station (Michael Mallin)
Waterford - Plunkett Station (Joseph Plunkett)
Galway - Ceannt Station (Eamonn Ceannt)
Dundalk - Clarke Station (Thomas Clarke)

Drogheda - McBride Station (John McBride)
Sligo - McDermott Station (Sean McDermott)
Bray - Daly Station (Edward Daly)
Wexford - O'Hanrahan Station (Michael O'Hanrahan)
Kilkenny - McDonagh Station (Thomas McDonagh)
Tralee - Casement Station (Roger Casement)

WHAT THE AMERICAN PAPERS SAID?

The Aud was captured by the British as it waited for instructions from the beach. The British had broken the German codes and knew a shipment was on its way but not exactly sure where off the Southern Coast it was to be landed. They increased patrols hoping to capture the shipment. The Aud was actually the Libau, a German ship that had been captured from the British at the beginning of World War One and known then as the SS Castro. The ship was crewed by three German naval officers and nineteen German navy men. (Spindler). The Aud left the Baltic port of Lubeck on April 9th and journeyed along the Norwegian coast, around the north of Scotland and down along the Irish Coast from Donegal to Kerry. Unable to land his cargo Captain Karl Spindler was attempting to leave Tralee Bay when he was blockaded by a number of British Naval vessels. HMS Bluebell and HMS Zinnia escorted the captured vessel to Queenstown but as they entered the harbour the captain and crew abandoned ship and scuttled her with preset explosives. On board heading for the bottom of the sea were 20,000 rifles, 100,000 rounds of ammunition and ten machine guns. The crew were detained as prisoners of war.

In the early hours of April 21st, Casement was put ashore at Banna Strand in Tralee Bay. Exhausted from his journey he attempted to rest in a disused fort but he was captured by the British and transported to the Tower of London and charged with High Treason. On August 3rd 1916 he was hanged in Pentonville Prison.

WHAT IF?

I was asked by an American visitor who was taking my guided Easter Rising Coach Tour, what if the rebels had succeeded in April/May 1916? It has been a question that I have given much thought to and as I attempted to answer the question I came up with even more questions.

Following the split with John Redmond’s National Volunteers, The Irish Volunteers had about 13,500 trained members but were lightly armed. Even if the Aud had successfully landed their cargo of weapons on Holy Thursday, there were no heavy guns or grenades only explosives they had stolen from quarries and some police barracks. The question is if all 13,500 had mustered on either the Sunday or the Monday would the bridgehead established by such a force been enough to halt the British. British forces on the streets of Dublin despite their commitment to the western front numbered over thirty thousand by the end of the Rising. If the rising appeared to be gaining the upper hand would this have affected the attitude of Irishmen serving with British regiments both in Ireland and at the frontline in France and Flanders?

The problem with success for the leaders of the rebellion would not have been to placate the population but to overcome Unionist objections in Ulster. With the rebels lauding the success of the Howth gun running mission that landed 1000 rifles imported from Germany, it was over shadowed by the Ulster Volunteers importation of 10,000 rifles also from Germany. Germany was hoping to agitate trouble that would have caused the British to either commit more troops to Irish streets or set up a second front.

Would attitudes of the ordinary Irish person have changed if the rebel forces had got the upper hand or would the population have supported more forcibly the British forces? Many households who had men serving in the British Army depended on the pay that was being earned for impoverished families and the loss of this and resultant food shortages would have made keeping the peace difficult for the rebels.

The Curragh Mutiny of 1914 had shown the British Government that Irish troops were not willing to take on the Unionists in Ulster and would have disobeyed any direct orders. The strength of the Unionists in Ulster can not be underestimated or the influence of Sir Edward Carson. Carson had already announced that a Provisional Government was in place in Belfast to take control of the six Ulster plantation counties should Home Rule be activated in Dublin. The implementation of Home Rule had been delayed by the outbreak of World War One and over a quarter of a million Irishmen at the request of Redmond had joined the British Army to fight the Germans believing this support would speed up the ending of the war and encourage the British Government to follow through on the implementation of Home Rule.

The spectre of civil war between the Ulster Unionists and Irish nationalists had been a growing threat until the outbreak of World War in 1914 focussed some peoples attention elsewhere. Belfast was a rich industrious city with ship building, thriving linen and distilling industries and munitions factories with a powerful rich elite completely diverse from the ghettos and tenement slums of Dublin. Home Rule as Carson saw it would be ‘Rome Rule’ and that it would create economic, social and religious disadvantages from Unionists. Carson had the support of the Conservative Party in Britain and its then leader Andrew Bonar Law. Liberal Prime Minister Henry Asquith had succumbed to pressure from Redmond for the support of the Irish Parliamentary Party MPs to keep Asquith in power, the price of this support being Home Rule.

This I believe could possibly had been a different time line to that of Kilmainham Gaol and the executions of Pearse, Connolly and the others.

April 24th 1916 - The Easter Rising begins at noon. 10,000 volunteers flood onto the streets of Ireland. Dublin Castle is captured and Under Secretary Nathan held prisoner. Cork is seized and a number of British naval vessels are captured but instead of utilising these assets the ships are scuttled. Galway, Wexford and Athlone are also seized and reinforced.

April 25th – May 3rd - Heavy fighting at the Curragh and Newbridge and mush of Kildare and Offaly. The British Army maintain the high ground in Tipperary.

May 2-3rd - The Ulster Volunteers mobilise and Carson declares himself Prime Minister for an Ulster Provisional Government and opposes a partitioned country. He holds secret talks with the British military authorities in Ireland.

May 5th - Increasing casualties across Ireland and a German offensive in France force the British Government to begin to withdraw their forces to Ulster. The main regiments are redeployed to Europe but heavy weaponry is left with the Ulster Volunteers. The Ulster Volunteers were 100,000 strong with 25,000 rifles prior to Easter 1916.

May 10th - An Ulster Volunteer force seizes Dundalk and Drogheda in County Louth. Donegal Sligo and Leitrim also fall. Irish regiments in the British Army in France begin to dessert and attempt to return to Ireland. Many are captured and executed by the British army.

May 15th - Padraig Pearse goes on a nationwide tour to generate support and help morale. His force is still lightly armed. Many of the Irish born British soldiers left in Ireland begin to take sides with many of them siding with the Unionists.

May 20th - Under pressure from The British Government, The US President recognises Edward Carson’s Government as the new Irish Government. Carson warns Pearse to surrender or die.

May 20th – June 1st - Heavy fighting and casualties on both sides as battles rage in Cavan, Monaghan and Meath.

June 13th - Pearse is killed in an ambush in County Dublin by Unionists living in the city. Rioting takes place as protests about food shortages and lack of Army pay become more militant.

June 20th - The Provisional Government in Dublin is captured by the Unionists who moved unhindered once they crossed the River Boyne. The leaders are executed. There are celebrations on the streets of Dublin. Loyal Unionist units are created along the East coast to act as the police and military.

June 30th - Battles continue to rage in Munster as the Ulster Volunteers hold the line from Dublin to Thurles to Galway.

July 12th - Carson declares victory. Belfast is named the new capital of Ireland and a Provisional Government is created without a Catholic representative. Carson announces conscription in Ireland. A guerrilla war continues for many years I centered on Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

1918 - Following the ending of the war, Ireland reintegrates with Great Britain and returns to the Empire and direct rule is re-established from London with Carson appointed Lord Lieutenant.

© eabproductions2011

REBEL TV NEWS - WEDNESDAY

THE MUNSTER REPUBLIC?

In 1916 the Irish Volunteers in Munster failed to rise. During the Civil War, Munster became the seat of anti-Government forces and the creation of the Munster Republic. Since our first President Douglas Hyde in 1938 twenty three people have either held or stood for the position of President of the Republic of Ireland. Not since 1973 when Tom O'Higgins stood against Erskine Childers has anyone represented Cork City (the so called second capital)or Cork county. The break down of the figures of Presidential candidates including the 2011 election is as follows;

Leinster
Dublin - 5 (President O'Kelly, Mitchell, Nally, Banotti, Lenihan)
Wicklow - 1 (President O'Dailaigh)
Longford - 1 (MacEoin)

Connaught
Roscommon - 1 (President Hyde)
Mayo - 2 (President Robinson, Davis)

Munster
Cork - 1 (T. O'Higgins)
Limerick - 1 (M. O'Higgins)
Clare - 1 (President Hillery)
Tipperary - 1 (Roche)

Ulster
Cavan - 1 (Gallagher)

Northern Ireland
Down - 1 (President McAleese)
Tyrone - 2 (Currie, McCartan)
Derry - 1 (McGuinness)

Outside Ireland
New York - 1 (President DeValera)
London - 2 (Dana Scallon, President Childers)
Kinshasa - 1 (Norris)

Three of the eight Presidents to date have been born outside the Republic of Ireland to which the President serves.

A LOOK AT THE FAMOUS 1916 PROCLAMATION

Poblacht na hÉireann.
The Provisional Government of the Irish Republic
To the people of Ireland.

IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN:

(Only Norway, Finland and Denmark allowed women to vote prior to 1916.)

In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.

(Ireland had never been a unified nation. In the 9th century the country was ruled by various clans and High Kings. The Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century eventually led to English and then British rule. Ireland did have its own autonomous parliament until 1801 when the Act of Union led to direct rule from London.)

Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported by her exiled children in America

(In 2008 the US census indicated that there were 36,278,332 ‘Irish’ in the United States. Following the Great Famine of the 1840’s, there were more Irish in the United States than in Ireland itself)

and by gallant allies in Europe

(support from the Kaiser in Germany)

, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory

(that victory was compromised as with many Irish attempts at Rebellion by internal bickering, splits and spies)

.

We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. (

Ireland became part of the EEC in 1972 and the renamed EU in 1992. The Euro was introduced in 2002 and a Constitution in 2004)

.The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty: six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms

(This included the 1848 United Irishmen rebellion more commonly known as the Cabbage Patch Rebellion as it took place in the garden of widow Margaret McCormack in Ballingarry, County Tipperary and caused the deaths of 2 people)

. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and its exaltation among the nations.

The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights (

equal rights for women but would this have also meant equal rights for the Gay and Lesbian community that would have included men like Sir Roger Casement)

and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally

(the protection of children was seriously flawed as it was often left in the hands of both male and female clergy who systematically abused their positions),

and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.

Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National Government, representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government

(there were 7 members all of whom were executed in the aftermath of the Rising)

, hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.

(It was obviously the aim of the rebel Government to hold elections following their victory. Voting in Ireland was patchy and uneven. The elections prior to 1916 were in January and December 1910. A total of 683,767 people were entitled in Ireland to vote. In January 1910 the two main winners in Ireland were the Irish Parliamentary Party who gained 74,047 votes equating to 71 MPs and the All For Ireland Party who garnered 23,605 votes equating to 8 seats. In December 1910, 90,416 voted for the IP Party or 74 seats and the All For Ireland party 30,332 votes and 8 seats. As a entire UK electorate the IP Party gained 1.85% of the vote but this equated to 11% of the seats in the House of Commons. This compared to the Liberal Party who won 44% of the vote equating to 40% of the seats in the Commons. Post 1916, the 1918 general election of saw the success of Sinn Fein. 1,926,274 people in Ireland were entitled to vote in this election. Sinn Fein won 476,458 votes equating to 73 MPs and the IP Party garnered 226,498 votes but only 7 seats. Less than one third of those entitled to a vote exercised their democratic franchise. Irish nationalists had won 7% of the vote when entitled them to 12% of the seats in the House of Commons.)

We place the cause of the Irish Republic

(The Irish Republic refers to a 32 county nation, while the present Republic of Ireland is a 26 county constituted nation)

under the protection of the Most High God

(Ireland’s population was in 1916 90% Roman Catholic with Pope Benidict 15th on the Vatican throne who had actively thwarted plans by the Germans to give financial aid to the Rising through a Vatican bank account in Switzerland and some historians have speculated that it was Vatican representatives who tipped the British off to the arrival of Casement by U Boat off the coast of County Kerry )

, whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine

(Dictionary defined as the ‘plunder of another’s property)

. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must, by its valour and discipline and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.

REBEL TV NEWS - TUESDAY

WEDNESDAYS NEWS REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON FRIDAY!

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND OR IRISH REPUBLIC?

It was interesting to watch the Presidential debate on RTE's The Late Late Show on Friday night. Martin McGuinness used every euphemism possible to avoid mentioning the Republic of Ireland, the Presidency of which he now seeks. He spoke of a 'new Republic', the 'country', the 'state' and the 'nation' but never once spoke of the Republic of Ireland.

The BBC reported that seven people are seeking the Presidency of the Irish Republic which again is a complete misrepresentation of the state that exists today. The 'Irish Republic' refers to a nation of 32 counties as declared in 1916 and by the First Dail of 1919 but the nation that exists today is a 26 county constitutional Republic of Ireland which succeeded the Irish Free State which itself was created in 1922 after the War if Independence.

The Republic of Ireland Act was enacted in 1949 and covers the territory and seas of the 26 counties. The 'Irish Republic' only lives in the ideals of nationalists and republicans who seek a unified island of Ireland. What do you think of the debate on Friday Night

US Presidential Election 1908

Irlanda Respubliko proklamis en Dublino

The chances are you have no idea what you have just read but at least two of the signatories of the Proclamation in 1916 would have. This is the Esperanto for ‘The Proclamation of the Irish Republic’ and both James Connolly and Joseph Plunkett spoke Esperanto, the international language. Esperanto was a language created by Ludwig Zamenhof in 1887. This is just one of the little known facts about the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic(1916).

Of the seven members of the original cabinet (the signatories all of whom were executed) two were teachers, Pearse and McDonagh, McDonagh at one stage having studied to be a priest. Two had severe illnesses McDermott had polio and Plunkett had TB. Thomas Clarke was a tobacconist a business that is practically outlawed in today’s Ireland. Eamonn Ceannt was an accountant at Dublin Corporation.

With the 2011 Irish Presidential campaign rumbling across the country few people would have known that one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising had experience of campaigning during a Presidential campaign. James Connolly while in the United States was involved in the campaign of Socialist Party of America candidate in the 1908 Presidential election Eugene Debs. Debs (1855 – 1926) finished third in the poll which was won by Republican William Taft. Connolly had founded the Irish Socialist Federation and used the newspaper of his organisation ‘The Harp’ to drum up support for Debs’ campaign along the socialist Irish communities along the east coast of America. Connolly returned to Ireland in July 1910 to become secretary of the Socialist Party of Ireland and as the man would say ‘the rest is history’.

THE 2011 IRISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

THE CANDIDATES IN SHORT....
DRAGON SLAYER - SEAN GALLAGHER
LIFE TAKER - MARTIN McGUINNESS
OLYMPIC FLAMER - MARY DAVIS
CARE TAKER - MICHAEL D HIGGINS
GOVERNMENT PLAYER - GAY MICHELL
DOUZE POINT BLAGGER - DANA
GIVER & TAKER - DAVID NORRIS

THE SIZE OF THE COUNTRY

BY THE EVENING ON MONDAY APRIL 24TH FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF THE RISING AND THE DECLARATION OF THE IRISH REPUBLIC BY PADRAIG PEARSE THE SIZE OF THE NEW REPUBLIC WAS 6.745SQ KM OR 1666ACRES. THIS WOULD INCREASE ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE SUCCESS OF THOMAS ASHE IN ASHBOURNE, LIMITED SUCCESS OF LIAM MELLOWS IN GALWAY AND THE SEIZURE ENNISCORTHY BUT THE NEW REPUBLIC HAD ALSO LOST SOME GROUND BY WEDNESDAY AS THE BRITISH MILITARY MACHINE INCREASED THEIR STRANGLEHOLD ON DUBLIN CITY.

A TOUR REVIEW ON DUBLIN CITY FM

Review of the Tour on Dublin City FM

http://lookingback.podomatic.com/entry/2011-09-24T06_26_05-07_00

CAN YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION? THIS IS MY ANSWER

A Roman Catholic he was elected as a Sinn Fein MP but in line with his party’s abstentionist policy he refused to take his seat in Westminster. Elected to the Northern Ireland Parliament he has been both a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Sinn Fein. While as an IRA member, Bloody Sunday occurred with the deaths of fourteen civilians. He spent time in prison for his republican military activities and he first ran for the Presidency of Ireland in ?

2011 or 1959
Both sets of facts are true when applied to Martin McGuinness of Eamon DeValera.
DeValera was elected MP for East Clare in 1917, McGuinness for Mid Ulster in 1997. DeValera was elected to the then Northern Ireland Parliament for South Down in 1933-1938, McGuinness was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly 1998. Although not directly involved Bloody Sunday for DeValera was the fourteen civilians who died in the attack on Croke Park and for Martin McGuinness it was the unlawful killing of 14 civilians by the British Army in Derry in 1972. DeValera was jailed on a number of occasions including being the last ever prisoner in Kilmainham Jail while McGuinness served time in 1974 at Portlaoise Prison. Both men were avid GAA fans and while DeValera was a teacher, Martin McGuinness served as Minister for Education in Northern Ireland.

HAPPY ARTHURS DAY

THIS IS AN IMPROVISED BRITISH ARMY PERSONNEL CARRIER CONSTRUCTED FROM A VAT AT GUINNESS BREWERY DURING THE 1916 RISING.

RÉABHLÓID - TONIGHT ON RTE TELEVISION

Episode 2 - The Man in the Locket
RTÉ One, Monday 19th September at 7.30pm

A rare memento of the 1916 Rising aroused intense public interest last February when an Edwardian gold locket was sold in Sworder's Auctioneers in Stansted. Described as "incredibly poignant", the locket contained the picture of Guy Vickery Pinfield, the first British officer to be killed in the Easter Rising.

Guy Pinfield was shot and killed outside Dublin Castle but little else was known of the exact circumstances of his death until now. Indeed, the appearance of the locket highlighted several unsolved mysteries surrounding the death of the twenty one year old Second Lieutenant of the Irish Hussars.

When he was killed, Guy Pinfield was hastily buried in a temporary grave in the grounds of Dublin castle with dozens of other soldiers who died during the Rising. Most of these bodies were exhumed and reinterred once the hostilities were over, but not Guy Pinfield. His body lay in the temporary grave, unclaimed and apparently forgotten for the next forty six years. The mystery is compounded by the fact that Pinfield came from a wealthy background and his family were all still alive. So why did they leave him there?

Some efforts were made to ensure that he wouldn't be forgotten. A plaque in his memory was erected in St Patrick's cathedral, the only plaque to any combatant in the Rising, yet no one can tell when it was put there.

There is also a mysterious reference to a "Mr P-" in an anonymous diary written by one of the nurses in the British Military Hospital in Dublin Castle. This famous diary gives a detailed account of the events unfolding in Dublin during Easter week. The nurse tells of her shock upon learning of the death of "Mr P-" of the Irish Hussars. Could this be Guy Pinfield? And who was the nurse who wrote the account?

RÉABHLÓID travelled to England in an effort to shed some light upon these mysteries. We visit his home town of Bishop's Stortford where Pinfield's name appears on a number of memorials, and we go to Marlborough College and Cambridge University where he was educated. And deep in the Cotswolds, we trace the grandniece of Guy Pinfield who shows us a treasure trove of correspondence and memorabilia lovingly maintained since 1916.

The vast array of correspondence from colleagues and friends of Guy Pinfield finally answers many of the outstanding questions surrounding his death and shed a new light on one of the most famous actions of the Easter Rising, the attack on Dublin Castle. The surviving objects taken from Guy Pinfields body, including his wallet with one remaining unsmoked cigarette, serve as a powerful reminder of the common humanity of man.

COMMUNICATIONS DISRUPTED

As the officer in charge of Communications Joseph Plunkett realised very early in the planning that the rebels would need some form of communications to keep in touch with the country. In the city runners and bicycle couriers could move around the city with news and orders but the British forces would make this impossible for the rest of the country. He also knew that the British would destroy the facilities rather than allow them to fall into rebel hands so his men would have to move quickly to seize the operations. Plunkett wanted to seize some telegraphs stations in order to communicate with his forces but he also wanted to destroy others so that the British would not be able to call in re-enforcements or direct troops to flash points. While some men were detailed to establish communications for the rebellion, Kimmage Garrison men like The King Brothers and Richard Mulcahy were charged with destroying them. The leaders of the rebellion had been gathering a file on British communications for some time with the assistance of an informer within the Post Office. The King Brothers, George and Paddy went to Lombard Street and Palace Street to cut telephone and telegraph wires, while Richard Mulcahy cut the lines at Raheny, the direct line to British forces stationed in Belfast.

Michael King was charged with blowing the manhole covers and destroying the equipment at the Central Telephone Exchange but with the countermanding orders his men failed to show. This was important and it was reported to Pearse and Connolly who despatched a small force of men to seize the exchange but these also failed. With the direct line to London cut and under the assumption that the rebels had either seized or destroyed all other valuable communications, the British Army’s number two Colonel Cowan needed to find a way to communicate with Downing Street and the War Office to inform them of the rebellion and to request reinforcements. At this point the British did not know how extensive the rebellion was throughout the country or how many rebels were involved but they would have assumed from the Howth incident and the Kerry incidents that the rebellion would be quite large. A junior officer in Cowan’s command volunteered to make the dangerous journey, on a bicycle and in disguise, to Kingstown Harbour (now Dun Laoghaire) on the south side of the city. Just after one p.m. the officer reached the naval wireless station in Kingstown Harbour and ten minutes later the news was despatched to London. With the bulk of their internal and external communications severed or in rebel hands, Dublin was further from London than Beijing was from New York.

The rebel forces failure to seize the telephone exchange played on Plunkett’s mind in the first hours of the rebellion. The losses in Kerry also made him uncomfortable. Plunkett summoned Fergus O’Kelly and instructed him to take six men and seize Reis’s Chambers on the corner of Middle Abbey Street and O’Connell Street. Housed within this building was The Irish School of Wireless Telegraphy.

THE REBEL IN THE ARAS

A former terrorist becomes President. Perhaps for Mr. McGuinness may not reach the Aras but for a nation founded on violence would Padraig Pearse have been elected President and surely the precedent was set when Eamon DeValera was elected President.

RADIO 1916

The Arabic Spring in Tunisia and Libya may have been the first Risings to use new media like Twitter and Facebook but the Easter Rising was the first to use the then new medium of radio.

A DAVID NORRIS QUOTE

Terrorists are people who use civilian casualties to advance a political end. The men of 1916 produced the proclamation, addressed equally, in an age when women didn't have the vote - to 'Irishmen and Irishwomen', that's wonderful"

IN THE BEGINNING

Home Rule for Ireland Bill was introduced by the British Prime Minister Henry Asquith in April 1912, a diluted form of Independence was not to everyone’s liking especially the Unionists in Ulster who wished to firmly remain under the rule of the King. The Unionists promised that they would fight the introduction of Home Rule in Ireland by force if necessary. To this end the Unionists signed a covenant pledging that they would set up a Provisional Government in Belfast rather than be governed by Home Rule which they decreed as being Rome Rule. The Unionists under Dublin born Edward Carson readied a Volunteer army for the fight launching recruitment drives and training in a strict military fashion and openly importing arms including one large shipment smuggled into Larne from Germany. On July 1st 1914 a summit was held at Buckingham Palace with the outcome being that in order to avoid civil war in Ireland between Protestants and Catholics, Home Rule although placed on the statute books its implementation would be delayed until an agreement could be reached with the Unionists with a view to a possible partition of Ireland. Redmond conceded that a partitioned Ireland would now be the most likely outcome of the Home Rule Act. Further complications came for the Home Rule movement when Germany declared war and World War One, the war to end all wars began.

A quarter of a million Irishmen fought in the British Army with half of them volunteering during the war years. Many joined for economic reasons while others believed if they fought in defence of other small nations of Europe it would help the cause of Irish independence and accelerate the implementation of the Home Rule Act. In all nearly forty thousand Irishmen died in the battles of Europe and more died when the returned to Ireland murdered for supporting the perceived British oppressors. The Volunteers in Ireland deemed themselves to be an all-Ireland organisation and their associated organisations such as the IRB and Clan Na Gael in America saw only a united thirty two county independent Ireland governed from Dublin as the only conclusion.

Dublin at the turn of the century was the capital of a country still getting over the trauma of a devastating famine and mired in the failures of many rebellions. Architecturally a jewel in the crown of the British Empire, the city was divided into those with and those without who lived in slums and ghettos and what work was available was ruthlessly exploited by a handful of powerful employers. The organisation known as the National Volunteers led by Redmond split over the Home Rule issue and the support of the crown forces in the World War, and of the nearly two hundred thousand members, the Irish Volunteers under McNeill and Bulmer Hobson were left with twenty thousand members seeking a more radical solution to Britain’s presence in Ireland.

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COLOURS SUNDAY

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NOT THE ONLY REVOLT OF 1916

The United States occupation of the Dominican Republic occurred from 1916 to 1924. It was one of the many interventions in Latin America undertaken by American military forces. On May 13, 1916, Rear Admiral William B. Caperton forced the Dominican Republic's Secretary of War Desiderio Arias, who had seized power from Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra, to leave Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment
Three days after Arias left the country, United States Marines landed and took control of the country within two months,[1] and in November the United States imposed a military government under Rear Admiral Harry Shepard Knapp. The marines restored order throughout most of the republic, with the exception of the eastern region; the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, and economic growth resumed; infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country's regions for the first time in its history; a professional military organization, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power.
Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic. A guerrilla movement, known as the gavilleros, enjoyed considerable support from the population in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. Having knowledge of the local terrain, they fought against the United States occupation from 1917 to 1921. American naval forces maintained order during a period of chronic and threatened insurrection. In 1921, the gavilleros were crushed due to the superior air power, firepower and counterinsurgency methods of the United States military

The Battle of Athens: 1916


French troops in Athens, with the Acropolis in the background, after the Noemvriana.
On early morning of 1 December 1916 the Allies landed a 3,000[35]-strong marineforce in Piraeus, and headed towards Athens.When the Allied troops reached their designated positions, they found them already occupied by Greek troops. For more than two hours both sides stood facing each other. Some time in the morning, an unknown origin rifle shot was fired and the battle of Athens began. Each side blamed the other for firing first. Once the battle spread throughout the city, the king requested a ceasefire proposing a solution and reach a compromise. Du Fournet, with a small contingent of troops was unprepared to encounter organized Greek resistance, and was already short of supplies, so readily accepted the king's compromise. However, before an agreement was finalized, the battle resumed. The Greek battery from Arditos Hill fired a number of rounds at the entrance of Zappeion where the French admiral had established his headquarters. The Allied squadron from Phaliron responded by bombarding sections of the city, mostly around the Stadium and near the Palace soon were resumed and a final compromise was reached. The king compromised to surrender just six artillery batteries camouflaged in the mountains instead of the ten that the Allied Admiral demanded. By late afternoon the battle was finished. The Allies had suffered 194 casualties, dead and wounded, and the Greeks lost 82, not counting civilians. By early morning of 2 December, all Allied forces had been evacuated.
The role of the Venizelists during the battle has been intensely contested by witnesses and historians. Admiral Louis du Fournet wrote that Venizelists supported the Allies and attacked passing Greek royalist army units. Venizelists participation was allegedly so extensive, that lead Admiral du Fourne wrote in his report that he had been involved in a civil war. The Venizelists continued fighting after the evacuation of the Allied marines until the next day, when they capitulated. The royalists claimed that large caches of weapons and ammunition were found in their strongholds packed in French military containers. Venizelists were led to prison surrounded by a furious mob and supposedly only the royal army escorts saved them from being murdered by the angry citizens. Other historians deny that the Venizelists collaborated with the Allied forces: Pavlos Karolidis, a contemporary royalist historian, argues that no Venizelist attacked their fellow citizens and the only weapons found during the raids on prominent Venizelists' houses were knifes.

LOOKS JUST TOO FAMILIAR

Watching coverage of events in Tripoli, Libya in recent days, the reporting of events from the Mitiga Hospital gave me some sense of the pressure the staff at St. Patricks Dun hospital must have been under and the distressing scenes following the slaughter at Mount Street Bridge.

STAMP OF CLASS

Advertisement

An advertisement for the Wireless School operated by PK Turner and renamed the Irish School of Wireless Telegraphy. This school was closed at the outbreak of World War One but was used by the rebels to broadcast during the Rising.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ON TRIPADVISOR

“A Must!!”
Reviewed August 16, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Very informative, and a great tour guide. I would highly recommend it. A must for Irish history lovers.

“Different way to relive this history”
Reviewed August 13, 2011
Really enjoyed this tour, tour guide really knew his information and funny tip bits!!! Great tour.

“Brilliant!”
Reviewed July 29, 2011
Was amazing, learnt stuff i never knew, recommended!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH 2011

WE WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE ARE A SELECT FEW SEAT AVAILABLE FOR THE EASTER RISING COACH TOUR DEPARTING SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH 2011 AT 3P.M.

IF YOU ARE VISITING OUR WONDERFUL CITY AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US PLEASE VISIT www.1916easterrisingcoachtour.ie FOR FURTHER DETAILS

SKY NEWS LIVE INTERVIEW WITH PADRAIG PEARSE

Watching the Libyan story unfold and the talk of revolution and rebels, I wonder how CNN, Sky News and even Al Jazerra would have covered the 1916 Easter Rising with their 24 hour news cycles. Would Alex Crawford have been embedded with the rebels in the GPO?

GRAND NATIONAL MEETING

THIS IS THE 'TURF' REPORT FROM THE FAIRYHOUSE MEETING THAT WAS ATTENDED BY SO MANY BRITISH SOLDIERS THUS LEAVING THE CENTRE OF THE CITY UNPROTECTED. THE REPORTER DETAILS THE PROBLEMS THAT RACE GOERS HAD IN GETTING HOME AND THAT SOME WERE STILL STUCK THREE DAYS LATER

STRANDVILLE V SHAMROCK ROVERS

Some people were asking me for a report of the Strandville v Shamrock Rover Match that was played on the weekend of the Easter Rising. Here is the match report from the Freeman's Journal.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH 2011

WE WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE ARE A SELECT FEW SEAT AVAILABLE FOR THE EASTER RISING COACH TOUR DEPARTING SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH 2011 AT 3P.M.

IF YOU ARE VISITING OUR WONDERFUL CITY AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US PLEASE VISIT www.1916easterrisingcoachtour.ie FOR FURTHER DETAILS

THE MORSE CODE MESSAGE THE REBELS SENT OUT

- .... . / .. .-. .. ... .... / .-. . .--. ..- -... .-.. .. -.-. / .... .- ... / -... . . -. / -.. . -.-. .-.. .- .-. . -.. / .. -. / -.. ..- -... .-.. .. -. .-.-.- / - .... . / .-- .... --- .-.. . / -.-. --- ..- -. - .-. -.-- / .... .- ... / .-. .. ... . -. .-.-.- / .--. .- -.. .-. .- .. --. / .--. . .- .-. ... . / .--. .-. . ... .. -.. . -. - / --- ..-. / - .... . / .--. .-. --- ...- .. ... .. --- -. .- .-.. / --. --- ...- . .-. -. -- . -. -

YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD?

In late 2011 Ireland will go to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and as it stands with the field of candidates the average age is 60. The average age of the previous eight Presidents since Douglas Hyde to Mary McAleese has been 62 years old. But as our Republic aged since the Easter Rising the age of our leaders has steadily increased. Padraig Pearse was just 36 years old when he led the new Irish Republic in 1916. The average age of the men who signed the Proclamation was 39. The average of the men who sacrificed their lives for their nation and were executed in 1916 was 38. The average of the leaders of the Rising Pearse, McDonagh, Clarke, Plunkett, Ceannt, McDermott, Connolly, Willie Pearse, Daly, O'Hanrahan, McBride, Mallin, Colbert, Heuston, Kent, Casement, DeValera, The Countess, Ashe, Mellows, Collins, Mulcahy and Brugha was just 36 years old. Michael Collins was 32 years old when he led a new nation while Enda Kenny was 60 when he took charge. Why is there no trust in youth? Why must a citizen be 70 before he is elected to high office? Is it any wonder that the youth of the nation feel isolated and disenfranchised by a different generation.

EASTER RISING COACH TOUR SOUVENIR

See EBAY to purchase one of these beautifully crafted Dublin Crystal made glass SouvenirS depicting the iconic GPO, home of the Easter Rising.

THE GERMANS ARE COMING

This boat was pictured today on the Grand Canal. A German Polezei vessel moored opposite the bank of Ireland HQ. Are they really this concerned about the bailout? The last time the Germans arrived in Ireland was 1916 and we know what happened then.

IN THE BEGINNING

Pearse, Connolly and Plunkett emerged through the door and stood on the steps looking out over their men. Connolly had remained in Liberty Hall all night as he had done on numerous occasions in the previous weeks refining the plans. Pearse had arrived that morning at eight thirty a.m. with his brother William having cycled from their family home in Rathfarnham. As they stood on the steps, Padraig Pearse’s sisters approached him and begged him to return home and not to be involved in such nonsense. Connolly saved Pearse the embarrassment of having to argue with his sister in front of the assembled men by barking out the order,
‘Form Fours’
The men formed into column of fours. William O’Brien turned to Connolly as they moved down the steps and asked,
‘Is there any chance of success?’
‘None whatsoever’ was the quick and straight reply.

At precisely midday, with Pearse and Connolly sitting in the front and Clarke McDermott and Plunkett in the back seat of a touring car driven by The O’Rahilly, the soldiers marched off turning left into Middle Abbey Street heading towards O’Connell Street. One of those Volunteers guarding the car as they drove up Abbey Street was Denis Daly fresh from is mission to Kerry. Bringing up the rear of the marching column were two motor cyclists, Jack Plunkett, youngest brother of Plunkett family and Fergus O’Kelly. Also amongst the men was James Connolly’s son Roddy who marched off to an uncertain future but with floods of adrenalin pumping through his young body.

As Monday was a Bank Holiday in the city, the streets were deserted, the population having taken advantage of the fine day to go to the racing in Fairyhouse or headed to the various beaches around the city. As the soldiers marched up Abbey Street, they reached Malborough Street junction where ordinary Dubliners paused as they waited to cross the street watching in silence unconcerned that a group of armed men were marching on the street as this had become common sight especially since the landing of weapons from Germany at Howth and Kilcoole in 1914. Many Dubliners were indifferent to these men and their aspirations and just thought of them as grown men playing children’s games rather than a fighting force. Few of the people standing at the edge of the pavement could have suspected that this march was about to change the course of both Irish and European history forever.

The column reached O’Connell Street. Reis’s Chambers to their left, the Hibernian Bank to their right. They wheeled right crossing the wide thoroughfare before halting outside The General Post Office. The grey imposing building dominated the left side of the street. On one side of the GPO was the splendour of the Metropole Hotel and on the other Henry Street. The building was designed by Francis Johnson and built between 1814 and 1818. A portico of six ionic columns, pilasters in the Greco-Roman styles and three floors of space cost fifty thousand pounds to build. Perched on the roof of the building over looking the cobbled stone streets, Nelson’s Column, the city tram terminus and the vast expense of Sackville Street, were the three statues of Mercury, Hibernia and Fidelity. Two hundred and fifty six feet high the building had under gone major refurbishment re opening in May 1915 with a new telegraph room installed in the basement. When the rebels stormed the building some of the men headed for the Telegraph Room and ejected the operators. The leaders knew that communications were important to their cause and to stop the British communicating was just important.

The soldiers of the New Republic received their orders to line up in front of the main doors of the Post Office and awaited further commands from their leaders. According to Fergus O’Kelly
‘The Angelus was ringing in Malborough Street’ from the Roman Catholic Pro Cathedral.

Two of the eight unarmed members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police on duty that day in O’Connell Street were directly across the road outside Cleary’s Department store watching the events unfold. The two lawmen dressed in their blue uniforms, helmets, white gloves and shiny black shoes mused,
‘Those Sinn Feiners are at it again. Their mammies have let them out to play again.’
Just as he had finished that sentence across the street outside the impressive façade the order was given,
‘Charge’ boomed out and the men rushed into the G.P.O. Those patrons doing business inside seemed to be only a little discommoded by this intrusion and the order for them to evacuate the building was generally ignored. The two policemen opposite crossed over to investigate the matter further passing the one hundred and thirty five foot high stone column statue of Lord Admiral Nelson. Just as the men reached the corner of Henry Street and approached the main entrance a shot rang out fired into the ceiling inside scattering the customers who were now hurriedly making their way out passed the policemen. According to Joseph Gleeson’s WS another unarmed D.M.P. officer Edward Dunphy who was on duty inside the building was seized by the Johnny O’Connor making him the first prisoner of war. Dunphy was a forty four year old policeman originally from County Offaly. Married to Kildare born Elizabeth Dunphy lived on Sherrard Avenue just off Dorset Street near the Royal Canal. His two colleagues outside grabbed some of the fleeing citizens and having ascertained the reason for the shot made a hasty retreat along with the customers. The few Dubliners who had paid their thrupence to ascend the one hundred and sixty eight steps to the observation platform of Nelson’s Pillar also beat a rapid retreat. Once the leaders were sure that the building had been emptied they set about securing it against a British counter attack.

STRANGE WORLD

A barstool philosopher recently imparted these words of wisdom to me.
'My great Grandfather came over to Dublin from Manchester to fight for Ireland against the British during the Easter Rising, I now go to Manchester to support a British soccer team. My grandfather fought during the War of Independence to free Ireland from British rule, I now shop in Tesco's and M&S instead of Dunnes and Superquinn. My father served in the Irish Army in 1969 and believed that they would be invading the North, I now pay more monthly to Vodaphone than give yearly to Irish charities. I myself have watched Britain escape the ravages of a financial meltdown and curse the failure of the Irish economy yet I spent thousands of pounds sterling in Sainsbury's in Newry instead of Clery's of O'Connell Street which is across the road from where my great grandfather began the fight.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

From August 1st 2011, the Tour winter Schedule will be in operation. Tours will operate from August to March on a demand basis. Reservations should be made at 1916easterrisingcoachtour@dublin.ie or by telephone. If you have a party of 10+ contact us and we will arrange a time, day and pick up point to suit your party. The regular weekend tour times will operate from Friday March 2nd 2012. Thank you for your patience and we hope those who have enjoyed the tour so far in 2011 will pass on the good word. Slan

APOLOGIES

A typo has been pointed out to me that on some of the early print editions of the Tour Flyer the Sunday times are listed as Noon and 4pm when that should have read 3pm. Apologies for any confusion caused.
Eamon

THE MAN WHO PUT THE EASTER RISING RADIO STATION ON AIR

Johnny O’Connor was second generation Irish. His father’s parents hailed from counties Cork and Kerry and his mother’s from Cork and Galway. His grandparents had left Ireland seeking a better life after the famine of the mid 19th century. Johnny’s parents Jack and Mary lived in the East end of London where they had been born and grew up together knowing each other from their early school days. Both his parents were tailors and proud to be Irish with their house full of ‘Irish-Ireland’ traditions with history and music to the fore. The O’Connor family was made up of four sons and four daughters and their house was used as an IRA safe house during the War of Independence for IRA men on the run. In 1920 another son Joseph crossed the Irish Sea to help the cause and spent a number of years in prison. Mary O’Connor died in 1951 aged eighty four.

Johnny O’Connor joined the Irish Volunteers unit based in London. Initially there were two units founded in London, one on either side of the River Thames. Originally boasting over five hundred volunteers, the outbreak of World War One and the exodus of Irish men to fight for the British Army led to the merging of the two companies that now had just one hundred men. These men were trained by men like brothers Joe and Martin Cassidy in St. George’s Hall near the Elephant and Castle. One of O’Connor’s fellow Volunteers at the hall was one Michael Collins who would later have such a pivotal role in the formation of the Irish state. After a visit to the Volunteers headquarters at No.2 Dawson Street and to Bulmer Hobson, the organisations Quartermaster by the Liverpool Volunteers’ commander Liam McNieve found that the idea of setting up a central location for the units in Britain was met with resistance. McNieve had heard about an offer from the Plunkett family to use some of their land at Larkfield as a base for the men from London and Liverpool and after an inspection that offer was taken up. Monies that were gathered in Britain and out of the personal cash of the Plunkett family was used to purchase mattresses, blankets and food supplies.

On January 15th 1916 O’Connor made his way across the Irish Sea for the very first time from London by ferry through the Welsh port of Holyhead. Johnny reported that ‘ninety five percent of us had no relatives in Dublin and very little cash’. On his arrival at the North wall he made his way to Neary’s Hotel on Parnell Street. For one pound a week, O’Connor had his own room and three square meals a day. After a raid on the hotel when a cache of weapons was found in the room occupied by Gilbert Lynch, Michael Collins arrived at the Hotel and told the Volunteers staying there that they should pack their bags and to make their way to Kimmage. Larkfield was already heavily fortified when O’Connor arrived and their days were taken up with military drilling and weapons training. On one occasion in February the British authorities attempted to investigate the happenings at the estate but a couple of warning shots from the sentries sent the British scurrying away.

AN EXTRACT FROM THE FORTHCOMING BOOK 'RADIO OGLAICH NA hEIREANN - REBEL RADIO' BY EDDIE BOHAN