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
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.
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