Bullets, Books and Barricades

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description

Booklet produced for the Bar of Ireland 1916 centenary exhibition, 2016.

Transcript of Bullets, Books and Barricades

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Bullets, Books & Barricades – the story and legacy of the Four Courts 1916

The Four Courts Battle of Easter Week 1916 encompassed a large area, ranging from Church Street, North King

Street, Stoneybatter and Smithfield right up the north bank of the Liffey. The 1st Battalion, under Commandant Edward Daly, aged only 25, were to partake in some of the toughest fighting witnessed during the Rising. Despite his young age, Daly demonstrated his prowess as a military tactician in urban warfare and the battle was to prove fierce. British troops could not rely on the sheer weight of men and materials to turn the tide.

Top: Smullens Court off Church Street, where the Church Street Building is today. Courtesy of Dublin City Library and Archive

Above: Interior of a tenement in the Coombe, 1915 Photograph courtesy of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland

Below: Crowds cheer the arrival of guns in to Howth, 1913.©RTE Stills Library

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Background to the Rising

Early 20th Century IrelandIreland at the beginning of the 20th century was a forum for political and cultural movements that saw an awakening of the idea of a separate Irish identity. Through the political activities of the Home Rule movement and the cultural confidence of the Gaelic Revival a distinctly Irish consciousness was beginning to be asserted.

The National SituationThe Home Rule movement had widespread support as seen in 1912 when over 100,000 people from across Ireland, representing all social classes, gathered in Sackville Street for a rally headed by John Redmond of the Irish Parliamentary Party. The possibility of achieving some level of independence through constitutional means was becoming very real as the Home Rule Act was passed in 1914.

Here in DublinDublin as a city was stagnating. There was little industry to speak of and a large number of the population relied on low waged casual labour. Most of the wealthy middle classes had removed to the new suburbs leaving poverty and squalor behind them.  The lives of Dublin’s poor were punctuated by ill-health and squalid living conditions where disease spread easily and rapidly. The slums in Dublin were the worst in the United Kingdom and mortality rates were among the highest in Europe.

Church Street Tenement CollapseIn the Church Street area conditions were particularly bad and on the 2nd September 1913 two tenement buildings collapsed, killing seven people, maiming many others and leaving nearly a hundred people homeless. The extent of this tragedy moved the government to launch a Committee of Inquiry into the housing conditions of the working classes. The Committee published a damning report that detailed the squalid conditions and general dereliction of the homes and showed the inadequacies of Dublin Corporation in dealing with the problems.

The 1913 Lock-outThe 1913 Lock-out saw the workers of Dublin coming in to direct conflict with their employers over worker’s rights and by the end of September 1913 24,000 workers were locked out across the city. Tensions grew and street demonstrations by striking workers were met with baton charges by the police killing two and injuring many more. Life became increasingly difficult for those on strike and by February 1914 many had returned to work and the Lock-out was over.

The First World WarIt was also during this period that the First World War broke out in Europe. A major consequence for the nationalist movement was the postponement of the introduction of Home Rule. A split now occurred between those who believed that fighting in the war was the way to ensure Home Rule and those who preferred to pour their energies into achieving independence. Between 150,000 and 200,000 Irishmen joined the British Army, however, for others it was to prove a catalyst in their plans for achieving independence.

Planning the RisingThose left behind now focused their efforts on planning an uprising. By 1915 a secret military council had been established. Roger Casement travelled to Germany to garner the support and weapons that they would need. However, the German arms were intercepted and Casement was arrested. Then on Easter Sunday, Eoin MacNeill issued a countermanding order cancelling all actions. Though only succeeding in putting the Rising off for a day, this order was to have a detrimental effect on the numbers of Volunteers that actually mobilised on Easter Monday.

Right: A Gaelic League poster promoting the Irish Language, 1913. This image is reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland [EPH G11]

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Easter Monday 24th April 1916On the morning of Easter Monday 1916 1,200 rebels mobilised across Dublin. Four battalions of the Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army took over various positions including the Four Courts. Outside the G.P.O. Padraig Pearse read the Proclamation of Independence to a small crowd that had gathered there and the flag of the Irish Republic was hoisted above.

The principal objective of the 1st Battalion was to take and hold the Four Courts, the centre of the country’s legal system, and surrounding area. Daly set up a command centre in the Father Matthew Hall on Church Street and C Company of the 1st Battalion occupied the

Four Courts buildings through Chancery Place. Telephone lines were quickly cut, the gates to the complex were secured and windows were smashed and barricaded with furniture, law books and legal documents. Snipers were placed on the roof and Charles Bevan barricaded the Chancellors office with leather bound books from the Law Library that were placed on the windowsills. They took beds from the Four Courts Hotel for the Chancellors office which was utilised as a First Aid post. Barricades were erected on surrounding streets to reinforce defences and members of Cumann na mBan established hospitals for the wounded and were utilised as couriers, issuing food, ammunition and dispatches.

Around midday the 6th Reserve Calvary regiment (Lancers), escorting munitions to the magazine in the Phoenix Park, came under fire from the Volunteers in the Four Courts and took refuge in the Medical Mission on Chancery Place. Twenty three policemen in the Bridewell station were taken as prisoners to the Four Courts. Later on that evening, as news of the Rising spread, additional Volunteers arrived and by nightfall they were entrenched in the Four Courts with barricades and road blocks controlling the surrounding area.

1ST Battalion and The Four Courts

Above: East side of the Four Courts showing the damage sustained during shellingCourtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Above: Portrait of Commandant Edward ‘Ned’ DalyThis image is reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland [KE24]

Above: Portrait of Captain Sean HeustonThis image is reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland [NPA POLF95]

Left: Charles Stewart Bevan 1892–1969. Served with the Four Courts garrison throughout Easter 1916. After the Rising he was initially given a death sentence. This was later commuted to three years penal servitude and he was released under the Amnesty in June 1917. The original portrait of this photograph hangs in the Law Library, Four Courts.

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The Mendicity InstituteAlso on Easter Monday, Captain Sean Heuston’s D Company, consisting of twelve men, occupied the Mendicity Institute on the quays. Their objective was to hold this building for a few hours and delay troops from the Royal Barracks thus allowing the Four Courts to be secured. By Wednesday they were still holding the fort and inflicting numerous casualties. They were joined by another twelve Volunteers and at one stage were fighting up to four hundred Dublin Fusiliers. D Company were initially ordered to hold the Mendicity Institute for a few hours but instead held out for three days against overwhelming odds. Amazingly, by the time of their surrender they had suffered only one man killed in action and two wounded, infuriating the British even more.

Tuesday 25th April 1916Life for the local residents had changed dramatically overnight. Those who could deserted their homes whilst those remaining tried to stay out of the line of fire. British reinforcements began to create a cordon around the area. They started shelling the nearby barricades, where Volunteeers were in a pitched battle with the Fusiliers. The Volunteers at Clarkes Dairy, on North Brunswick Street, continued firing on Broadstone Station to deter further British attacks. Food was in short supply, so Monks Bakery, at the junction of Church Street and North King Street, was occupied by the rebels. Volunteers distributed bread to locals asking that they help reinforce the barricades in return.

Wednesday 26th April 1916 British army marksmen took up positions in towers around the city using experience gained from the Western Front. In Smithfield, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers set up a machine gun position and began firing on the west wing of the Four Courts killing a volunteer holding the record office. They also occupied buildings at Ushers Quay and began an intense barrage of gunfire at the Four Courts and barricades on Church Street. Two Volunteers, seizing four cans of petrol, made their way across Church Street Bridge as British troops fired at them. With little or no cover they reached the occupied buildings, broke the downstairs windows and set the building alight, forcing the Fusiliers to evacuate. British troops then established defensive positions on the south quays and began firing at the east wing of the Four Courts. The walls were too strong and Volunteers returned fire on the gunners stopping the shelling.

Attentions were turned to the nearby Linenhall Barracks. A group of Volunteers approached the gates and on the refusal of the soldiers within to surrender attempted to breach the wall with canister bombs, forcing the British soldiers to reconsider and surrender. They then set the complex alight, a fire that was to continue burning over the next four days and enshroud the area in smoke.

By Wednesday night the civilians trapped in the area were beginning to suffer terribly. Pantries had been depleted of food and smoke from burning buildings permeated the floors of the tenement houses.

Below: Surrendered Volunteers are marched under guard along the quays to Richmond BarracksThis image is reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland [INDH22E]

Below: Men surveying the wreckage of the Linenhall Barracks, 1916Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

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Thursday 27th AprilBritish tactics now consisted of raising a cordon around the city and breaking communications between the garrisons. They successfully managed to drive a wedge along Capel Street between volunteer GHQ at the GPO and the Four Courts. They then looked to rescue the Lancers from the Medical Mission on Chancery Place, using improvised armoured cars to transport the soldiers and ammunition. Slowly the British forces were taking control of the area and erecting their own barricades.

Friday 28th April 1916British forces made a plan to retake the city. Daly ordered the transfer of some of the Volunteers from the Four Courts to reinforce positions in and around North King Street. The Four Courts was heavily fortified and resisting any form of attack from the south side. The British planned to attack from North King Street and Bolton Street instead. Daly transferred the command centre to the Four Courts as casualties poured into the Father Matthew Hall. The atmosphere in the Four Courts was one of intense strain and symptoms of shock and fatigue were felt by the Volunteers.  Saturday 29th April 1916 After hours of intense combat Volunteers on North Brunswick Street, and those manning the barricades, fell back to the Four Courts. At 18.00 hours nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell and Revd Father Columbus conveyed the surrender order from Patrick Pearse to Commandant Daly at the Four Courts. Daly conveyed the order to his officers, many were shocked at the decision believing that the Four Courts position was impregnable and could be held for at least a month. However, Daly ordered that all men should obey their Commander-in-Chief and lay down their arms.  

After surrendering, the Four Courts garrison were marched to the Rotunda, where the officers were taken from the column. A British officer approached the group and asked who was in charge of the Battalion. Commandant Daly proudly replied “I am. At all events, I was”, a remark which, he must have known, signed his death warrant.

 While their comrades in the Four Courts were surrendering, the Volunteers in Clarke’s Dairy prepared to launch another assault on the British in North King Street, declaring they knew nothing of the surrender. A group of Cumann na mBan, remaining in the Father Matthew Hall, decided to remove the seriously wounded to the Richmond Hospital. Having completed their duty, they returned to the church and waited anxiously for the morning.

Sunday 30th April 1916 Early on Sunday morning an official copy of the order for surrender was conveyed to Patrick Holohan in North King Street. Holohan’s troop consisted of fifty eight Volunteers. They were marched under guard to Dublin Castle and subsequently transferred to Richmond Barracks in Inchicore.

For those women remaining in the Father Matthew hall it was devised that at mass on Sunday morning they would escape by mingling with the crowd. Standing in the church during the service, the women noticed that there were many Volunteers in the congregation planning to escape in a similar fashion.

 

Above: The surrender of Patrick Pearse to General Lowe. The feet of Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell are just visible beside those of Pearse.Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Right: Portrait of Brigadier General W.H.M. Lowe‘Irish Life’ magazine, Bureau of Military History Collection BMH CD/5/1/4, Military Archives

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The Aftermath and Executions

SurrenderThose who surrendered spent the night in the grounds of the Rotunda hospital and at the Parnell Monument on Sackville Street. Though the Volunteers had been defeated in battle their spirits remained high. In anger at this Captain Percival Lea –Wilson singled out Thomas Clarke and Edward Daly with both men searched and their papers and personal belongings scattered on the ground. He then had Thomas Clarke stripped naked and placed on the steps of the Rotunda Hospital. Over 300 British soldiers, civilians and Irish Volunteers witnessed this act of humiliation. In the days and weeks that followed, the men of the 1st Battalion were brought to Stafford Prison in England and finally sent to Frongoch camp in Wales. By June 1917 most had been released and returned to Ireland.

The Cost to the CityOfficially 1,351 people had been killed or severely wounded during the Rising. In the aftermath Dublin, the second city of the British Empire, had been virtually destroyed. Despite the fierce fighting in and around the Four Courts only superficial damage was caused to the building itself whilst one hundred and seventy nine buildings in central Dublin had been irrevocably ruined. British regiments remained on standby as martial law was declared and the heavy-handed approach adopted by the military caused resentment amongst the Irish people.

Court Martials & ExecutionsIn haste court-martials were set up and the leaders of the Rising were dealt with quickly and severely, including those belonging to the Four Courts garrison. During a secret court martial Commandant Edward Daly was charged that “[He] Did an act… calculated to be prejudicial to the Defence of the Realm” He was found guilty and sentenced to death and on the 4th May, was

executed by firing squad. He was just 25 years old. Captain Sean Heuston was also court martialled, found guilty and sentenced to death, in all probability for the havoc and casualties he inflicted on the Royal Dublin Fusiliers at the Mendicity Institute. He was executed on Monday 8th May. Heuston too was only 25 years old.

In total ninety seven people were condemned to death. In the end, sixteen were executed - fifteen were shot and one, Roger Casement, was hanged. As penalty followed penalty, a feeling of revulsion began to set in.

A soldier points to the execution spot in the stonebreakers yard in Kilmainham Gaol©RTE Stills Library

Above: A crowd gathers outside the G.P.O. in the aftermath of the RisingThis image is reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland[KE121]

Above: Prisoners under escort in Richmond Barracks 1916Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

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North King Street Massacre

In the aftermath of Easter week a number of atrocities

came to light. North King Street had witnessed some brutal fighting and the deaths of forty British soldiers. The authorities decided to take a tough stance on the insurgents, but in North King Street, it was the civilians who bore the consequences of this. Most had left the area over the course of the week but others had nowhere to go or believed they would be safe if they remained in their homes. Between Friday evening and Saturday morning British troops broke into the homes of several local residents and murdered 15 unarmed civilian men.

At 170 North King Street, Thomas Hickey (38), Christopher Hickey (16) and Peter Connolly (39) were killed, their bodies showing bayonet marks. At 172, Michael Hughes (50) and John Walsh (56) were shot dead and at 174 Michael Noonan (34) and George Ennis (51) were killed. At 27 North King Street Peter Joseph Lawless (21), James McCarthy (36), James Finnigan (40) and Patrick Hoey (25) were killed. John Beirnes (50) was killed in Coleraine Street. William O’Neill (16) of 93 Church Street was also shot. The bodies of Patrick Bealen and James Healy were discovered partially buried in the basement of 177 North King Street.

On Friday 12th May, at the opening of an inquest into the suspicious deaths of Patrick Bealen and James Healy, allegations of misconduct were levelled against the military authorities on service in the North King Street area. The jury dismissed the explanation given by the military authorities and the Coroner’s Court found that Patrick Bealen and James Healy died from shock and haemorrhage resulting from bullet wounds inflicted by soldiers in whose custody they were unarmed and unoffending prisoners.

An identification parade was held whereby the wives and mothers of the dead men were invited to pick out the soldiers who had committed the alleged crimes. They were unable to identify anyone and in the case of Bealen and Healy the two soldiers who had shot the men were safely back in England, on the orders of their company officer. General Maxwell dismissed the murders as “absolutely unavoidable in such a business as this… and responsibility for their deaths rests with those resisting his Majesty’s troops”. No British soldier was ever charged with the unlawful killing of any civilian on North King Street. Above: General Maxwell and his staff, 1916

Courtesy of Kilmainham Gaol Museum

Above: People outside tenements on North King Street, 1915Courtesy of Dublin City Library and Archive

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The Legacy of the Easter Rising

Initial Reaction The Irish people did not wait long to reflect upon the significance of the events of Easter week 1916. While the citizens of Dublin were disturbed by the destruction visited upon the city their reaction was more complex than is often thought. There were many resolutions recorded by local government bodies and other organisations condemning what had happened, but the behaviour of British authorities in the aftermath led to a shift of opinion in favour of the rebels.

 In the years that followed, the reaction of the British Government to the Rising, the holding of the spectre of conscription over Ireland, as well as the later return to Ireland of nationalists who had been radicalised in camps like Frongoch, led to a sharp rise in support for those advocating an independent Ireland.

Evolving Attitudes The legacy of the Rising has continued to be discussed by historians, politicians, journalists and civilians alike. The century since the Rising has seen huge changes in Irish life and society. It is for each individual to interpret for themselves what the legacy of the Easter Rising should be, and this debate will continue for years to come.

Above: A commemorative postcard and stamps issued for the 50th Anniversary in 1966Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Below: A photograph of the veterans of the Four Courts Garrison taken for 50th anniversary commemorations in 1966.Courtesy of the NPA and Independent Newspapers Collection

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The Role of Women in the Rising

It is now known that around 300 women, from a variety of social backgrounds, took part in the Easter Rising of

1916. While the role of women in the events of the Easter Rising is often over looked, they were a huge force behind the historic developments leading up to Independence.  From the turn of the twentieth century Irish women were actively involved in organisations such as the Gaelic League, the Irish Women’s Franchise League and the Irish Citizen Army. The growth of trade unionism and the 1913 Lock-out also encouraged young working class women to become politically active. Cumann na mBan was founded in 1914 as an organisation which would work alongside the Irish Volunteers. Within six months there were sixty branches across Ireland. While all the garrisons, apart from Bolands Mills, had women insurgents fighting alongside the men, other women played an equally important role by administering medical help, running dispatches, delivering ammunition and intelligence gathering.

After the RisingAfter the Rising, a number of women were sentenced to death for their role in the rebellion but were subsequently shown leniency because of their gender. Whilst the leaders of the Rising were executed and interned, it was the women who kept the spirit of the nation alive, organising remembrance masses for the dead, fundraising for the relatives of the deceased and visiting those imprisoned in England. They were activists and believers, suffering poverty and imprisonment for their hopes and dreams of a country with equal rights for men and women.

The role of women in the Rising must not be undermined, for those strong and independent women, who lived and live amongst us then and now, must always be cherished, nourished and encouraged. In remembering these women of the Rising we must remember their life-long commitment to equality, nationalism and social justice.

Below: A photograph of the women who participated in the Rising taken in the garden of Ely O’Carroll in the summer of 1916Courtesy of Kilmainham Gaol Museum

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Kathleen Lynn 1874–1955 Initially chief Medical Officer with the City Hall garrison, then subsequently commanding officer, when Sean Connolly was shot. Lynn was imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol for her activities during the Rising but was released in 1918 to help fight the flu epidemic . In 1919 she co-founded St. Ultan’s hospital for children. She died in 1955 and was buried with full military honours for her role in the Rising.

Helen Moloney 1883–1967As a member of the Irish Citizen Army she was at the forefront of the City Hall garrison during the Rising. On Easter Monday she was captured during a raid on Dublin Castle, was subsequently sent to Kilmainham Gaol and eventually to prison in England until her release in the Christmas of 1916. She was one of only five women to join over 2,500 male internees in England.

Margaret Skinnider 1893–1971Known as a remarkable markswoman, throughout the Rising, Skinnider was based at the Royal College of Surgeons variously operating as a scout, sniper and dispatcher. On Wednesday 26th April she was shot three times whilst attempting to burn down a building in Harcourt Street. She died in 1971 and was buried in the Republican plot in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.

This sequence shows the original photograph (left) of the moment Padraig Pearse surrendered to General Lowe. Beside Pearse obscured is Nurse O’Farrell. In the second photograph the expressions of the British soldiers’ faces were changed— and by the third picture Nurse O’Farrell was eliminated from the scene.

Elizabeth O’Farrell 1884–1957On Saturday 29th April Pearse, accompanied by O’Farrell, surrendered in person to General Lowe. Though partly obscured by Pearse, she may be seen in the original photograph taken at the moment of the surrender. Her presence however, was subsequently and controversially removed. O’Farrell died in 1957 and is buried in the Republican Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery.

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Patrick Pearse1879–1916 Barrister and Leader of the Rising

Patrick Pearse was born in 1879 and was called to the Bar in 1901.

His most notable case was representing Donegal poet, Niall MacGhiolla Bhride, over his right to have his name painted in Irish on his cart, later reported in the Irish Reports in 1906. In 1913 the Irish Volunteers were founded and Pearse was made their director. It was not long before he became a member of the Supreme Council of the I.R.B. and took part in planning the rebellion. On Easter Sunday, 23rd April 1916, a draft Proclamation of the Irish Republic, mostly written by Pearse, was finalised at a meeting of the Supreme Council. Pearse was then appointed to the posts of President of the provisional government of the Irish Republic and commandant-general of the army. The following day at 12.45pm he stepped outside the GPO and read aloud the Proclamation. After six days of fighting, Pearse issued the order to surrender. On Tuesday 2nd May he was court-martialled and sentenced to death by firing squad. He was 36 years old.

William Wylie 1881–1964 Barrister

William Wylie was called to the Bar in 1906 and in 1914

he took silk. He joined the Territorial Army and served with the Trinity College Officers during the Rising. After the Rising, Wylie was approached to prosecute the rebels. He asked for the position of no counsel to the rebels to be rectified, but was turned down. He went on to interview each prisoner before any hearing so that he could present their side while he was prosecuting. Military history accounts show that he was, at the very least, fair to the men where possible. He was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Ireland in 1920 and of the High Court of the Irish Free State in 1924.

Eoin MacNeill 1867–1945Grandfather of Michael McDowell SC Great-grandfather of Hugh McDowell BL

Eoin MacNeill was a scholar, Irish language enthusiast and

nationalist activist. In 1893, MacNeill helped found the Gaelic League and in November 1913 he founded the Irish Volunteers. The organisation was gradually infiltrated by the I.R.B. which, unlike MacNeill, was strongly in favour of armed rebellion. MacNeill was persuaded to support the Easter Rising by a forged letter which the I.R.B. claimed came from Dublin Castle and outlined purported plans for the British to arrest nationalist leaders. Upon hearing that Roger Casement’s attempts to import arms into County Kerry had been unsuccessful, MacNeill issued countermanding orders calling off the Rising. He was too late, and his orders only served to reduce the military capacity of the rebels. After his release from prison in 1917, MacNeill was elected as a Sinn Fein MP in the 1918 general election. He was subsequently a supporter of the Anglo Irish Treaty although his son, Brían, died fighting for the Anti-Treaty side.

The Legacy of the Bar of Ireland

Above: Patrick Pearse wearing his barrister robes and wig Above: A portrait of William Wylie Above: Eoin MacNeill

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Edward Daly 1891–1916Great-uncle of Peter O’Sullivan B.L.

John Edward ‘Ned’ Daly was born in Limerick in 1891 to a family

with a strong history of I.R.B. activity. He had always shown a keen interest in the military and the foundation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 provided an outlet for this. His natural ability as a military tactician and strategist saw him rise quickly through the ranks to become the youngest commandant.

On Easter Monday the 1st Battalion assembled at Blackhall Place at 11.00am and Daly organised the Volunteers to occupy the Four Courts. He remained in command of the Garrison until news of the surrender the following Saturday. Though not a signatory of the Proclamation, at his court martial he was sentenced to death. He was transferred to Kilmainham Gaol and in the early hours of the 4th May 1916 he was led out to the Stonebreakers’ Yard at Kilmainham Gaol and executed by firing squad.

James O’Sullivan 1892–1974 Grandfather of Peter O’Sullivan BL

Captain James (‘Jim’) O’Sullivan was born in Cork but raised in

Clontarf. His best friend was his brother-in-law Commandant Ned Daly. Jim’s task on Easter Monday had been to destroy railway lines on the North Circular Road at Cabra, but having been joined by only fifteen of his men, he discovered, on arrival, that no barricades had been erected and the bridge had not been destroyed as planned. In the face of overwhelming Crown forces, O’Sullivan and his men tried to withdraw towards Battalion HQ at the Four Courts but eventually ended up in the GPO, where he later took part in the ‘O’Rahilly Charge’ and the retreat along Moore Street.

Fionan Lynch1889–1966 Barrister Grandfather-in-law of John Devlin BL

Fionán Lynch was a teacher and Gaelic League member

who joined the Volunteers in 1913 and was later recruited into the I.R.B. He became captain of F Company of the 1st Battalion and oversaw their military training. He helped establish their station from North King Street to May Lane at the start of Easter week. The fighting in F Company was intense from the Wednesday until Saturday, when, having been worn out by three days of incessant fighting, F Company fell back to the Four Courts. The order for surrender came shortly afterwards. Lynch later become a TD and government minister and was called to the Bar in 1930. He practiced on the Midland Circuit until his appointment as a Circuit Court judge.

Above: Edward Daly Above: James O’Sullivan Above: Fionán Lynch

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Joseph McGuinness 1875–1922 Great-uncle of Frank Callanan SC Great-uncle of Mary Rose Gearty SC

Joseph McGuinness was born in Roscommon in 1875. On Easter

Monday he led a group of the 1st Battalion Volunteers that took the Four Courts by storming the Chancery Place entrance. He remained there for Easter week fighting alongside his wife Catherine and two nieces Rose and Brigid. On May 2nd he was court-martialled in Richmond Barracks and was sentenced to 3 years’ penal servitude. He was released as part of the general amnesty in 1917 and was elected in the 1918 general election. He became Sinn Fein’s Director of Elections until his arrest in May 1918 for his activities in the anti-conscription campaign. He died on May 31st 1922. His funeral was seen as the last occasion on which many of the principle players in the Civil War were gathered together.

Brigid Lyons Thornton1896–1987Godmother of Frank Callanan SC Related to Mary Rose Gearty SC

Brigid Lyons was born in 1896 in Roscommon. Whilst studying

medicine in Galway she became involved in Cumann na mBan and formed a branch there. On hearing of the Rising in Dublin she managed to get into the Four Courts to join her uncle Joe McGuinness. From there she was directed to go and set up a canteen and first aid station. Throughout Easter week 1916, Brigid, along with other members of Cumann na mBan, provided food to the Volunteers and took care of the wounded rebels. After the surrender, she was imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol. In 1922 she graduated from medical school in Galway and became the first female commissioned officer in the Irish army, as a 1st lieutenant in the Medical Corps.

Henry Vincent Kenny1895–1968Grandfather of Eithne Casey BL

Henry Vincent Kenny was born in 1895. He was a member of

the Volunteers and A. Company, 4th Battalion. On Easter Monday, Henry received an order from his commanding officer to go to the G.P.O. He was to take the place of his father who still had a young family. Aged just 20, he reported to Liberty Hall and was ordered to commandeer a car to transport weapons and supplies to the GPO. From Monday to Wednesday he was sniping from the windows of the GPO. He volunteered to go to Arnott’s on the Thursday, to obtain red and white material for use in making a Red Cross flag for carrying in front of the wounded going to Jervis Street Hospital. After the Rising he was interned in Frongoch prison camp until Christmas 1916.

Above: Joseph McGuinness Above: Brigid Lyons and Rose McGuinness. Within a year of this photograph being taken both women were part of the fighting with the Four Courts Garrison.

Above: Henry Vincent Kenny

Above: Medals received by Henry V. Kenny for his service in the Easter Rising and War of Independence

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Michael O’Rahilly (The O’Rahilly)1875–1916Great-grandfather of Edmund Sweetman BL

Michael O’Rahilly was born in 1875. He was a founding

member of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and, along with Eoin MacNeill and Bulmer Hobson, was opposed to unprovoked action and was not party to the plans for the Easter Rising. On learning of them, O’Rahilly spent Good Friday driving throughout the country informing Volunteers not to mobilise. Despite this, he set out on Easter Monday stating “Well, I’ve helped to wind up the clock - I might as well hear it strike!” He fought with the GPO garrison throughout Easter Week. On Friday 28th, with the GPO on fire, O’Rahilly volunteered to lead a party of men along a route to Parnell Street. A British machine-gun at the end of Moore Street cut him and several others down and after writing a message to his wife he died.

Patrick Shortis1893–1916Uncle of Mr Justice Richard Johnson Great-uncle of Murray Johnson BL & Kerry Johnson BL

Patrick Shortis was born in County Kerry in 1893. With

the introduction of conscription in England in 1916 he returned to Dublin and joined the F Company 2nd Battalion Irish Volunteers. On Tuesday 25th along with other members of his company he joined the garrison at the GPO. By Friday evening the decision was made to abandon the GPO and Shortis volunteered to join ‘The O’Rahilly’s’ front guard. Dashing out into Henry Street and onto Moore Street, they were met with a volley of fire from the British barricade and Patrick was killed. He was buried in the republican plot in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Peter Warner1882–1956Grandfather of Rory deBruir BL

Born in Cork, Peter joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers and

served in the Boer War in South Africa and in India. On retirement he moved to New Ross and became a member of the I.R.B. After the Rising began, he was arrested in New Ross by British authorities to prevent further action in the rest of the country. He was imprisoned in Richmond Barracks and then transferred to Wakefield Prison in May 1916. He subsequently became involved in the War of Independence. His brother, Robert, had joined the Munster Fusiliers but was killed in 1917 by German shelling at Chapermont, Belgium. Another brother, Jack, was also involved in the War of Independence and on the anti-treaty side in the Civil War.

Above: Michael O’Rahilly in Volunteer uniform Above: Patrick Shortis (courtesy of The Seanchaí Kerry Writers Museum & Helene O’Keefe)

Above: Peter Warner (left) and his brother Jack outside their shop in New Ross

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Cathal Brugha1874–1922Related to Austin Ó Briain BL, Cillian Feiritear BL and Neasa Ni Bhriain BL

Cathal Brugha was born in 1874. He was a member of the I.R.B.

and joined the Irish Volunteers on their foundation in 1913. During the Rising, Brugha was Vice-Commandant to Eamon Ceannt in the South Dublin Union. On Thursday 27thApril, left alone behind a six foot barricade on a stairwell, Brugha engaged in fighting of the greatest intensity and single-handedly held out against a prolonged assault. He came under constant fire from which he was wounded as well as straying into the line of a hand-grenade, which exploded inflicting extensive wounds. After the Rising, he was spared court-martial and probable execution by the severity of his injuries. He survived and was elected as a Sinn Fein TD in 1918 and subsequently became involved in the War of Independence. He then went on to fight with anti-treaty forces in the Civil War and he died of a single gunshot wound he received on the 4th July 1922.

Joseph McGrath 1887–1966Grandfather of David McGrath SC & Great-grandfather of David Kevin McGrath BL

Joseph McGrath was born in 1887. A member of the I.R.B. and the

Volunteers, in 1916 he served as a member of the South Dublin Brigade where he helped occupy the South Dublin Union and the adjoining Marrowbone Lane Distillery. It has been recorded that Joseph indicated to men under his command to make their own decision as to whether they wanted to surrender or try to escape, which he did himself with a “toora loo boys, I’m off”. He was arrested after the Rising and sent to prison in England. He was elected as a Sinn Fein TD in 1918 and was interned on a number of occasions, from which he managed to escape. He travelled to London with Michael Collins and the Irish Treaty Delegation and was later in charge of the Police Intelligence Service of the Irish Free State. He served as Minister for Labour and also Minister for Industry and Commerce.

Christopher Moore1902–1970 Grandfather of Karl King BL

Christopher Moore was born in 1902 in Churchtown, Dublin.

At a young age he became involved in Na Fianna Eireann, a nationalist youth movement founded by Countess Markievicz and Bulmer Hobson. During the Rising, members of Na Fianna were active in various engagements around Dublin and Christopher spent that fateful week running dispatches and messages for various individuals across the city. He was only 14 years old.

Above: Cathal Brugha Above: Joseph McGrath Above: Christopher Moore

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Denis McCullough1883–1968Grandfather of Denis McCullough SC and Eoin McCullough SC Great-grandfather of Stephen McCullough BL and Patrick McCullough BL

Denis McCullough was born in Belfast in 1883. In 1901 he joined the I.R.B. and played a major role along with Bulmer Hobson, Sean MacDiarmada

and Thomas Clarke in steering them along more militant lines. In 1913 he became a member of the executive of the Irish Volunteers and in late 1915 was elected president of the Supreme Council of the I.R.B. Though he presided over the meeting at which the decision to hold a Rising was taken, the Military Council did not keep him informed of their plans. He was arrested immediately after the Rising and imprisoned. He was later elected a Sinn Fein councillor to Belfast Corporation from 1918 until 1922 and was a volunteer in the War of Independence.

Above: Dr. Patrick McCartan

Below: Surrendered Volunteers being marched under guard along Eden Quay©RTE Stills Library

Above: A sketch of Denis McCullough

Dr. Patrick McCartan1878-1963Father of Padraig McCartan SC

Patrick McCartan was born in Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone. He attended the Old Royal University from which he was expelled for his political activities

and transferred to the College of Surgeons where he qualified in 1909. He was a member of the I.R.B. and was elected a member of the Supreme Council, attending the last meeting before the Rising, where he opposed a rebellion unless German support and arms were available. He was to lead the Rising in Ulster with Denis McCullough but was unaware of the plans for a rising until Holy Thursday. Due to a lack of arms, and what they regarded as a suicide mission, they sent their men home again. He went on the run and was arrested in February 1917. He was elected to the first Dail in 1918 and he ran for the Presidency of Ireland in 1945 with a very respectable result when Sean T. O’Kelly was elected. He was appointed a member of the Senate from 1948 to 1954 and died in 1963.

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Katherine ‘Kitty’ O’Doherty 1888–1969Seamus O’Doherty1882–1945Related to Sunniva McDonagh SC, Feichin McDonagh SC, William Prasifka BL and Catriona McDonagh BL

Seamus O’Doherty married Katherine ‘Kitty’ Gibbons in 1911.

Previously he had joined the I.R.B. in 1910 and Kitty joined Cumann na mBan in 1914. Kitty was instrumental in the lead up to the Rising, purchasing supplies, running dispatches and distributing arms. On Monday morning the order to mobilise came. Unfortunately Kitty could not answer the “call out” as she had three small children to care for, however, she was able to participate in other ways by distributing tools and ammunition and sourcing

additional weapons throughout the city. Seamus reported to the G.P.O. where he was instructed by Tom Clarke to go away and to lie low in order to carry out the task of continuing the struggle once hostilities had ended. After the Rising, Kitty played a vital role in assisting the relatives of the deceased and interned and became a trustee of the National Aid and Volunteer Dependents Fund. As one of the surviving I.R.B. members, then at liberty, Seamus was called on to reconstitute a Supreme Council of the I.R.B. Although favouring a constitutional strategy after 1916, he was deported and imprisoned. In 1919 Kitty went to Philadelphia to join Seamus but following the outbreak of the Civil War in 1922, returned to Ireland carrying $50,000 in a money belt for the Anti-Treaty forces.

Above: William Quirke and his wife Clare

Above: William Lawless (centre, seated) with members of the 4th Northern Division after their release from jail after the truce 1921

Above: Seamus and Kitty O’Doherty

William Quirke1898-1973Great-uncle of Dáithí MacCárthaigh BL

William Quirke was born in 1898. He joined the Volunteers and I.R.B. in 1913. Though just 18 years old when the Rising started, he fought at

the Athenaeum, Turret Rocks, and Enniscorthy Railway Station and at Ferns R.I.C. Barracks. After the surrender he spent two weeks on the run. He later re-joined the Volunteers on reorganisation and served throughout the War of Independence, taking part in raids for arms and material as well as IRA attacks on Clonroche and Enniscorthy RIC barracks, and at one point was used as a hostage by British patrols. William Lawless1900-1987Grandfather-in-law of Dáithí MacCárthaigh BL

William Lawless was born in 1900. He was a member of the Irish Volunteers and though the Rising began when he was just 16 years old

he grabbed his bike and cycled from Dundalk to Dublin in order to take part. He later went on to serve with distinction in the 4th Northern Division of the I.R.A. under Frank Aiken. He became a barber and businessman in Dundalk and was one of the founding members of Na Gaeil/The Gael’s GAA Club, later training the Louth Football Team to the All-Ireland Final in 1950.

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Countess Markievicz1868–1927Constance Cassidy SC and Edward Walsh SC , Lissadell House

Countess Markievicz was born into the privileged Gore Booth family of Lissadell House, Sligo. Her father embedded in his daughters a deep

concern for the poor and working classes. In 1896 she helped found the Sligo’s Women’s Suffrage Movement. In 1907 she joined Inghinidhe na hEireann and later Cumann na mBan.

On Easter Monday Commandant Mallin and his garrison took up their position in St Stephen’s Green with Countess Markievicz his second in command. There she helped dig and build trenches and barricades and when Mallin realised that their position was untenable, he deployed the Countess, with a handful of rebels, to secure the Royal College of Surgeons building. They fought tirelessly until the message of surrender reached them on Sunday 30th April. The Countess was court-martialled on the 4th May 1916 and sentenced to death. This was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment because of her gender. She was taken to Mountjoy Prison, then to prison in England and after eighteen months she was released. Countess Markievicz was the first woman elected to the British House of Commons and was also one of the first women in the world to hold a cabinet position. She joined Fianna Fail on its foundation in 1926. In the 1927 general election, she was re-elected but died five weeks later. Refused a state funeral by the Free State government, she was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery with de Valera giving the oration.

William Neilan1883–1965Great-grandfather of Michael Timmins BL

Martin ‘Mattie’ Neilan1891–1972Great -granduncle of Michael Timmins BL

Brothers William and Martin ‘Mattie’ Neilan were born in County Galway. They both became involved in the I.R.B. and went on to join the

Clarinbridge Company of the Irish Volunteers. On Easter Monday they were ordered to make an attack on the RIC Barracks in Clarinbridge. Though Mattie helped capture a number of RIC men, they failed to take the barracks. They then marched to Oranmore and on to Athenry where there was a further exchange of fire between the RIC and the Volunteers, until the latter withdrew to the Agricultural College at Athenry. On the Thursday, Mellows addressed the Volunteers, informing them that other Volunteers in the surrounding counties had not risen and anyone who wanted to leave was free to do so. Mattie waved a tricolour at the Volunteers and tried to encourage those present to stay. By Saturday morning they had judged their position to be hopeless and the order to disband was given. William Neilan evaded capture and returned home at Christmas in 1916. Mattie Neilan was captured in May 1916 and sent to Richmond Barracks in Dublin, eventually transferred to Frongoch. On his release from Frongoch he was made Adjutant of the Galway Brigade of the IRA and was involved in both the War of Independence and the Civil War.

Above: Countess Markievicz (courtesy of South Dublin Libraries)

Above: William Neilan

Above: Martin ‘Mattie’ Neilan

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Francis Sheehy Skeffington1878–1916Hanna Sheehy Skeffington1877–1946 Grandparents of Patricia Sheehy Skeffington BL

Francis Sheehy-Skeffington was a pacifist, a suffragist and writer, who always positioned himself on the side of the weak against the strong.

His wife Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington was a suffragette and an Irish nationalist. Together they co-founded the Irish Women’s Franchise League in 1908 with the aim of securing votes for women.

On Easter Monday, Francis put his life at risk to help a wounded soldier at the gates of Dublin Castle. On Tuesday, concerned at the scale of looting, he planned to organise a citizens’ police force to help maintain law and order. That evening, for no apparent reason, he was arrested and detained in Portobello Barracks. The following morning he was shot in the back on the orders of Captain Bowen-Colthurst. Two days after his death, Hanna went looking for information on the whereabouts of her husband. That evening a party of forty soldiers, led by Colthurst, ransacked her home and removed everything of any value. On May 8th Francis’s body was exhumed and reburied in Glasnevin, again without the knowledge of his wife Hanna. She managed to speak with John Dillion who read her statement in the House of Commons, where his speech compelled Prime Minister Asquith to come to Ireland. Colthurst was eventually arrested and charged with murder and court-martialled. He successfully pleaded insanity arising from shell shock, was sent to Broadmoor Hospital briefly then to Canada where he was released with a pension after 20 months.

In July 1916 Hanna went to Downing Street and demanded an inquiry of Asquith into the various atrocities committed by Colthurst. She was offered compensation, however, she refused this demanding a ‘full, public inquiry into her husband’s murder’ which Asquith finally granted. Hanna subsequently travelled to the United States to publicise the political situation in Ireland. Upon her return to Britain she was imprisoned in Holloway Prison. She fought till her death in 1956 for the rights of the worker, the individual and the feminist cause.

Above: Francis and Hanna Sheehy Skeffington

Above: Dr. Henry L. Barniville

Dr. Henry Leo Barniville1887-1960Grandfather of David Barniville SC

Dr. Henry Leo Barniville studied medicine with the National University of Ireland qualifying in 1916. After graduation he held the position of

House Surgeon at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Dublin. During the Rising, Dr. Barniville, along with other surgeons and resident staff, remained on duty continuously throughout the week. A witness statement by a nun who nursed there recalled that surgery was performed by candlelight as there was no gas or electricity. Instruments and dressings were unsterilized as they had no boiling water, yet no cases of sepsis followed any of the operations. He was elected to the Seanad of the Irish Free State in 1922 and later Seanad Eireann. On his death in 1960 he was, and still is, the longest serving member of the Seanad.

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Patrick Leonard1861–1944Related to Brian Leonard SC, Patrick Leonard SC, Hugh O’Neill SC, Sophie Cargin BL and Sally O’Neill BL

During the Rising, Patrick Leonard was a member of the Food Supply Committee, established by the Lord Lieutenant to help alleviate food

shortages within Dublin. The committee met every day in Dublin Castle and food supplies were brought into the city by rail and distributed with military assistance. On behalf of the committee, Patrick purchased cattle and sheep valued at £4,000 which were slaughtered and distributed. While purchasing the livestock Patrick, along with his 16 year old son Mark, was wounded by a hail of bullets fired by rebels on Manor Street. The Food Supply Committee continued ensuring supplies of food to traders for some time after the Rising. Father George O’Neill later referred to the committee saying “the distribution of free food was organised by the Government with a promptitude quite unexampled on their part”.

Father George O’Neill1863–1947 Related to Conor Maguire SC, Elizabeth Maguire BL, Cathy Maguire BL, Roderick Maguire BL and George Maguire BL

Father George O’Neill was born in County Tyrone in 1863. On Easter Monday 1916 he was in the Father Matthew Hall on Church Street to adjudicate a Feis

Ceoil. Outside a young mother, Katie Foster, was pushing her two young sons to help out with the Feis Ceóil. When she reached the junction of Church Street she noticed a group of men behind a barricade. At that precise time a party of British Army Lancers on horseback were escorting a convoy of lorries, loaded with ammunition on route to the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park. Instantly the unsuspecting convoy was fired upon and her son, Seán, not yet 3 years old, was shot dead. Seán Foster was the first of forty children to die in the Easter Rising. Father George O’Neill volunteered to take the child to the Richmond Hospital and, carrying him in his arms, walked through deserted streets and across barricades. He stayed at the hospital for the remainder of the day and administered help and spiritual aid where he could. Above: Fr. George O’Neill

Below: Food rations being distributed by British soldiers after the RisingCourtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Above: Patrick Leonard

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Above: British soldiers guard the barricades erected by Volunteers at the Chancery Place entrance to the Four Courts. Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Above: The Irish Citizen Army outside Liberty Hall, 1914. This image is reproduced courtesty of the National Library of Ireland [KE198]

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Bullets, Books & Barricades – the story and legacy of the Four Courts 1916

Back cover: British soldiers guard the barricades erected by Volunteers at the Chancery Place entrance to the Four Courts. Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Below: The destruction of the Dublin Bread Company on lower O’Connell Street©RTE Stills Library

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