Sunday 23rd April 1916
On April 23rd, the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was printed in Liberty Hall, Eden Quay, Dublin 1 print shop. The printers were unable to print the full document in one go as it was too large so the Proclamation was printed in two pages and then put together to form the Proclamation document that we know today.
Monday 24th April 1916
At 12 o’clock on Easter Monday, April 24th 1916, before the Proclamation had even been read a group of mostly Fianna Eireann members took part in a raid on the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park. They were successful in their attempt to blow up the explosives and ammunition store. Some of the first shots of the Easter Rising were believed to have been fired during this raid, when an unarmed member of the garrison household and an armed sentry were shot.
The GPO, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1 is the most iconic building involved in the Rising. Bullet holes can still be seen to this day in the six pillars at the front of the building. The GPO was an important building to takeover because it was the hub of communication at that time with all postal and telecommunications operating from here. Taking control of the GPO would have been like taking control of the internet in today’s society, so it was key to any battle.
The Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read by Patrick Pearse in front of the GPO at 12.45pm on Monday, April 24th, 1916. Even though this was such a significant event at the time The Irish Times reported that “his audience became progressively bored… On a rumour that [Clerys was going to be breached for looting] his audience moved over to the shop windows and left the speaker finishing his peroration with no one to listen to him but his guard.”
James Connelly, commander of all rebel forces in Dublin, along with Patrick Pearse, Thomas Clarke, Sean Mac Dermott, Joseph Plunkett, Eamonn Ceannt, and Thomas MacDonagh, the seven signatories of the Proclamation, occupied the GPO for 6 days until the British shelling and resulting fire forced them to evacuate to their safe house on Moore Street.
Dublin Castle, Eden Quay, Dublin 1, the headquarters of Bristish forces at the time was mainly empty on the first day of the Rising as it was a bank holiday and many had gone to the Fairyhouse races. As the rising continued, the castle filled up with troops and was not attacked by the rebels. They did however takeover City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2 located just outside of Dublin Castle. This group from the Irish Citizen Army was lead by Sean Connolly. City Hall and together with a sniper strategical placed in the Castles Bermingham Tower (who was responsibities for 53 casualities) was used as a vantage point from which to ambush troops who might emerge from the Castle.
During the morning of the 24th of April members of the Irish Citizen Army under the command of Major Michael Mallin occupied St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. When it was taken, Constable Michael Lahiff, of the College Street Dublin Metropolitan Police station, was on duty; he was shot for “refusing to leave his post”. The green was abandoned on Tuesday when it came under machine-gun fire from British forces. Mallin and his troops fled to the nearby Shelbourne Hotel.
Commandant Edward Daly sent a portion of rebel forces, under Lt. Joseph MacGuinness, to seize the Four Courts, Inns Quay, Dublin 7 on the morning the Rising began. The force of only twenty men marched to the Chancery Place entrance, ordered a policeman to hand over the keys and took control of the building. The rebel force was able to hold the building for almost six days before they were forced to flee the building and escape.
Shortly after the firing began in Dublin city centre on Monday 24 April 1916, the gates of Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2 were closed, and armed members of its Officer Training Corps situated themselves on the roof, with orders to shoot any armed men not wearing uniforms. They continued to ‘defend’ the College through the week although there is no indication that the rebels had any plans to occupy it.
On the morning of the Rising South Dublin Union, now St James Hospital was occupied by rebel forces and during the subsequent fighting a member of the nursing staff was accidentally killed. It housed about 3,200 of the poor and elderly, as well as doctors and nurses. The Union was in a strategic position as it overlooked Kingsbridge (Heuston) railway station to the north and controlled the route from Richmond Barracks and the Royal Hospital (military headquarters) leading to the city centre.
Jervis Street Hospital, now the Jervis Centre, Dublin 1 founded by six Dublin surgeons in 1718, the British took control of the roof of the hospital during the Rising. They used it as a vantage point to spray bullets at troops travelling between the GPO and outposts around Henry Street.
When the Rising began, Sean Heuston was ordered to occupy the Mendicity institute, 9 Island Street, Dublin 8. He was told to hold this position for three or four hours, to delay the advance of British troops. He actually held it for more than two days, along with 26 troops. With his position becoming untenable against considerable numbers, he had to surrender, and was later executed.
Irish forces went in hard and strong on the first day of the Rising, they planned to cover as much ground as possible by taking over key buildings around the city. Check in here tomorrow to see what events unfolded on Tuesday, the second day of the Rising.
This was the beginning of the Rising with all leaders hopeful of finally creating a free republic.
Tuesday 25th April 1916
On the second day of the Rising Irish forces were coming under increased pressure from the British troops and were forced to begin to flee some of their posts.
The British sent a force of one hundred men to occupy the Shelbourne Hotel, Stephens Green, Dublin 2 and opened fire on the Citizen Army in the Park. After a fierce three-hour assault by British machine guns, Michael Mallin was forced to order a retreat of his forces to the College of Surgeons.
From Tuesday the 25th of April to Sunday the 30th The Royal College of Surgeons, 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 housed the members of the Irish Citizen Army led by Mallin and his second in command Countess Constance Markievicz. They both fled from Stephens Green and the Shelbourne Hotel to here when the British forces became too much to conquer.
The RCSI building is the only significant building directly involved in the Easter Rising that stands as it did in 1916, with all others having being either rebuilt or demolished since. The building was not attacked by the British forces and instead acted as a place of rest and medical care for the weary and wounded soldiers.
Wednesday and Thursday the 26th and 27th April 1916
The third and fouth days, Wednesday and Thursday the 26th and 27th of April saw an increasing presence of British Troops and artillery enter into the battle. By the fifth day (Friday the 28th) the battle was gruelling and ferocious.
Irish forces were beginning to feel the strength of the British troops by Thursday and were starting to realise the extent of the fight that they had on their hands. Check in here tomorrow to see what events unfolded on Friday, the fifth day of the Rising.
Friday 28th April 1916
It was now the fifth day of the Rising (Friday 28th) and the battle was gruelling and ferocious.
Some of the fiercest fighting in the week-long uprising took place at North King Street, Dublin 7. According to a statement later issued by General John Maxwell:
“The casualties were very heavy during the fighting. The troops were continually fired at from the roofs and upper windows of the houses. With modern rifles it is impossible to tell by the sound from which direction a shot has come. The rebels were moving from house to house. As the troops for instance moved along the street the rebels would escape out back doors and fire again at the troops from practically every house.”
Saturday 29th April 1916
On Saturday morning, it was decided that, in the interests of safety, the leadership should move to a safe house at 16 Moore Street, Moore Street, Dublin 1, away from a possible attack. The GPO had come under considerable attack during the five days and it was no longer safe for the leadership team to remain there. This was to be the final headquarters of the leaders and the last meeting place of five of the signatories to the Proclamation.
This was the last day of the Rising and from their new headquarters, after realising that they could not break out of this position without further loss of civilian life, Pearse issued an order for all followers to surrender. Pearse surrendered unconditionally to Brigadier-General Lowe. The surrender document read:
“In order to prevent the further slaughter of Dublin citizens, and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers now surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, the members of the Provisional Government present at headquarters have agreed to an unconditional surrender, and the commandants of the various districts in the City and County will order their commands to lay down arms.”
After the Rising
Kilmainham Gaol, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 was the place of execution for most of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. These executions were carried out under the orders of General Sir John Maxwell, Britain’s “military governor” in Dublin, from May 3rd to 12th.
Those executed included an ailing Joseph Mary Plunkett, who married his fiancée, Grace Gifford, in the jail chapel before being shot, and James Connolly, so badly injured that he had to be strapped to a chair before the firing squad.
The buildings involved in the 1916 Rising are monumental in shaping our country’s landscape and played a vital part in the history of Ireland. Be sure to check out the events that are happening all over the country over Easter week:
http://www.ireland.ie/
https://dublinrising.withgoogle.com/welcome/
http://www.gpowitnesshistory.ie/
Posted: 24/03/2016 11:39:18