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many writers on the events during Easter week 1916 the witness of Fergus O’Kelly has been both a starting point and a historical document to be accepted as the truth but alas sometimes with the passage of time and the confusion of the battle some facts merge without intention to mislead.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 .
According to the website http://www.irishmedals.org/the-g-p-o-.html
“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
