The Irish Rebellion

The Irish Rebellion

6 Jun 1931

Some Outstanding Events The Opening Attack.

One of the most prominent buildings on the south side of Dublin was Dublin Castle, situated at the western end of Dame Street on the eminence known as Cork Hill. At one time a little stream, known as the River Poddle, and it was across this that King John of England had erected a four-towered castle as a protection for the people of the Pale, and as a stronghold of his government in Ireland. While but one of these towers remained and a number of more modern buildings had been added, the system which had oppressed Ireland in the days of King John had altered little with the passing of the centuries.

The Castle was always garrisoned. In the lower quadrangle were situated the barracks of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, and there were, in addition, several companies of British soldiers quartered in the various buildings. On the morning of Easter Monday (April, 1916) a large force was on duty, waiting for the arrival of other soldiers from the Curragh to begin the programme planned by representatives of the Government.

Alongside the Castle, but standing out from it and facing Parliament St., was the City Hall, erected originally as the Royal Exchange in 1709, but adapted to municipal purposes in 1362. Across the street on the corner in Parliament St., and Dame Street were the offices of the Daily Express and the Evening Mail, two English newspapers owned and controlled by Lord Iveagh. It is not without interest to recall that, on the Friday before the Rising, the Daily Express, in the course of an editorial article, called on the Government to accomplish the ‘speedy and happy dispatch of the National leaders.”

A little before noou on Easter Monday morning the Countess Markievicz marched with her boys of the Fianna mi Eireann up to the outer gate of the Castle, facing Parliament Street. The sentry on duty, a man named Breen, noticed the parade and seemed interested.

When the Countess, leading the Fianna led the way directly to the gateway cf the Castle, the sentry, suddenly assuming a militant attitude, brought his rifle across his hip and faced the invaders. The Countess told hm to get on one side, that war had been declared, and that he would be shot if he resisted. At this he began to use foul language, and put his weapon to the breast of the Countess. Without a second’s hesitation, or moving an inch from her perilous position the Countess fired her revolver point blank into the body of the sentry. He fell where he stood, killed instantly. With a cheer, the others followed their intrepid leader into the quadrangle. The sound of the shot brought out a score or so of the military, who, seeing that an attack was in progress, retreated into the barracks of the police and of the armoury. The barracks was carried on the run by the Fianna, before those inside had time to close the doors, and a number of prisoners made, those inside preferring to surrender rather than to fight. Immediately after a fusilade of shots burst from the Armoury and several of the Fianna, who were still in the open, dropped to the ground. A rapid exchange of shots then took place between the Fianna in the barracks and the military in the Armoury. This lasted for some minutes, when it was decided to storm the armoury and gain possession of it, thus making the capture of the entire Castle a comparatively easy matter.

A slight lull in the firing from the armoury gave the desired chance. One of the Fianna made a dash across the yard and putting his revolver against the lock blew it to pieces. This was the signal for a general attack, and, with .a cheer, the boys, led by the Countess in” person, charged for the broken door. A scattering volley met the charge, but the shooting was and, and resulted, in only two of the attackers sustaining slight wounds.

But, at the moment that the charge was made there was a clatter of horses hoofs in the quadrangle, and the Lancers who had run away from O’Connell Street had appeared, covered with foam, dashing through the gates of the Castle. This sudden attack in the rere discomfited the rebels, and the appearance of the rebels came as a shock to the Lancers. That the.v would have again turned tail and fled is very possible, but their speed carried them on, and as they dashed towards the Fianna the latter fell on either side and allowed the horsemen to go past. The Countess realised that her little force was not able to cope with the situation, and, not knowing that other reinforcements might also be coming up behind, she ordered the Fianna to fall back towards the gateway. Keeping up a running fire they ‘made their retreat towards the entrance.

While the editor of the Mail, standing near his window, was working himself into a perspiration over these, events, the most of which he could only guess at, he was further amazed to see another force of Irishmen advancing in the direction of the Castle. Hearing the firing they came along at a run, and arrived on the scene just as the Countess succeeded in making her retreat. Seeing what was happening, Sean Connolly, who led the newcomers, commanded his men to charge into the Castle. This again turned the tide of war. and the Lancers turned at the arrival of the- rebel reinforcements and dashed out of the Castle through the Ship Street entrance. There they vanish from.the history of the Rebellion.

The quadrangle was strewn with the bodies of the dead and the wounded, most of these being Britishers, including SUM of the Lancers. The barracks was again occupied, and a fire kept up on the armoury that made the appearance at the windows of any of the British dangerous. At the same time a number of the Irish had established themselves in the upper quadrangle, so that, with the exception of the armoury, the Castle was virtually in the possession of the rebels.

Seeing that this was the case, Sean Connolly returned to the Parliament St. entrance of the Castle and led his men into the City Hall. As this building was vacant at the time, the occupation of it was merely a matter of walking in and taking possession. While this was in progress a number of the Republicans began the occupation of other buildings which \Vere to constitute this line of the defences. The Countess meanwhile then marched with her Fianna in the direction of Stephen’s Green and took up her quarters at the Royal College of Surgeons. The Republicans took over and occupied the offices of the Evening Mail, and the Empire Theatre, situated at the corner of Dame St. and Theatre St. They took up positions on the balcony of the theatre, facing Dame St., and also in the rear, where they were able to guard against a. surprise from Essex St. It was while they were making these arrangements that a disaster took place in the City Hall. After entering the City Hall theĀ  Volunteers proceeded to the roof, from which point they could bring a further line of fire on the remaining defenders of the Castle, and command Dame Street and Lord Edward Street. One of the first to appear on the roof was the leader, Sean Connolly. He carried in his arms the green, white and orange tricolour of the Republic, and went directly to the flagstaff, where the municipal flag was flying. This lie pulled down and ran up the Republican in its stead. As he was tying the last Tfriot a sudden volley rang out from the upper quadrangle of the Castle, where some of the defenders were still holding their own, and Scan was seen to fall flat on his face whore he had been standing. He had been killed almost instantly.

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