The “1916 Rising: Battle at Annesley Bridge” walking tour organised by the East Wall History Group was a huge success. Led by guide Hugo McGuinness, it was estimated that almost 200 people took part. (Ironically, this was a greater number than the entire Republican garrison involved in 1916!) The events at Annesley Bridge in 1916 …
Category Archive: Easter Week Rising 1916
Apr 23
Sean O’Casey and the 1916 Rising : A prisoner in ‘the Merchants’ , and a ‘cup of scald’
“I thought that no man liveth and dieth to himself, so I put behind what I thought and what I did , the panorama of the world I lived in- the things that made me.” Sean O’Casey (1948) Between 1939 and 1955 Sean O’Casey published six volumes of Autobiography. The first three in particular contain …
Apr 21
Sean O’Casey and the 1916 Rising : O’Connell street , Spencer Dock and Abercorn Road
“I thought that no man liveth and dieth to himself, so I put behind what I thought and what I did , the panorama of the world I lived in- the things that made me.” Sean O’Casey (1948) This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Sean O’Casey in 1964 . …
Apr 16
The “Blackguard” Tom Daly , the 1916 Rising and the Frongoch Rat catcher !
“A tough Dock Labourer, pugnacious and voluble…” On the 16th April 1916 an Irish Republican flag was flown for the first time over Liberty Hall. It was a hugely symbolic ceremony , a message of defiance and a signal of intent by the Irish Citizen Army. Amongst those caught up in the excitement and emotion …
Apr 07
The “Blackguard” Daly, the Lockout and the killing of “Harten the Blackleg”
North Dock resident “not guilty “of 1914 murder One hundred years ago , on the 7th April 1914 , a headline grabbing court case ended , with North Dock resident Tom Daly found not guilty of ‘wilful murder’ , but jailed for two assaults that occurred on the same evening. In a fascinating two part …
Mar 15
From Smithfield to Seaview Avenue – John Whelan and the Irish Citizen Army
On Thursday, 23rd January, An Post was due to release the first ever stamp to commemorate the Irish Citizen Army . However , this was immediately withdrawn as controversy arose over the identification of the central figure as Captain Jack White , which has been disputed by a number of historians . To date , …
Nov 17
Daniel Courtney – The ‘Grandfather of the Irish Citizen Army’
In June 1903 the DMP raided a house at 12 Upper Oriel Street. The object of their attention was the resident of the top floor flat, Daniel Courtney, who was running an illegal sheebeen from the premises. Courtney was a Casual Grain Labourer on the Docks and sought to extend his young families precarious …
Nov 11
Sean O’Casey, East Wall and the Irish Citizen Army in 1913
This month marks the centenary of the founding of the Irish Citizen Army during the 1913 Lockout. Since August the Dublin workers had been at war with the Dublin Employers Federation which had set out to destroy the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU). They had locked out thousands of men and were …
Apr 01
From mascot to marksman – The story of William Halpin and the 1916 Rising
From mascot to marksman – The story of William Halpin and the 1916 Rising Easter Monday 1916 was a defining moment in Irish history. At noon of that day, a rebellion against British rule was launched in Dublin City, which was to set in motion a series of events that would shape the Island of …