29 replies to this topic

[gerardkenny]

1916 Easter Rising Veterans Armband issued at a ceremony held at the Rotunda Rink, Dublin, on Sunday 21 April 1935 to mark the 19th Anniversary of the Rebellion - Kilmainham Jail Museum




Irish War of Independence propaganda postcard



(Left to Right) The 1916 Active Service Medal, Irish War of Independence medal with Comrac bar to designate combat, this medal is also known as the 'Black and Tan medal', 1966 Commemorative 50th Anniversary Medal - Kilmainham Jail Museum



Prison art made by Irish Easter Rising veterans who were prisoners at Frongoch concentration camp Wales - Kilmainham Jail Museum


(Left to Right) The 1916 Active Service Medal, The 1921 - 1971 Survivor Medal, Irish War of Independence medal with Comrac bar to designate combat, this medal is also known as the 'Black and Tan medal' - Kilmainham Jail Museum


campaign paraphernalia. Featured at the end of the Kilmainham section are the executed leader’s art exhibit & pictures of Independence era Dublin locations.
(Left to Right) The 1921 - 1971 Survivor Medal, Irish War of Independence medal with Comrac bar to designate combat, this medal is also known as the 'Black and Tan medal', 1966 Commemorative 50th Anniversary Medal - Kilmainham Jail Museum



(Left - Right) The 1916 Active Service Medal, 1921 - 1971 Survivor Medal, Irish War of Independence medal with Comrac bar to designate combat (also known as the 'Black and Tan medal'), 1966 Commemorative 50th Anniversary Medal - Kilmainham Jail Museum




Remaining traces within the prison :


Art Sculptures in honour of the executed 1916 Rebels



Part of the Art Sculptures in honour of the executed 1916 Rebels, depicting the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The most important document in Irish history.



The rest of the pictures are here :

Gallery 1
http://www.militaria...nham/index.html

Gallery 2
http://www.militaria...-pt2/index.html

[Ulsterman]

Thanks for posting! I have never been to the jail. Have you done the Sinn Fein walking tour of Dublin at all? Have you see n the new book on uniforms and badges of the IRB ?

[gerardkenny]

Ulsterman, on 30 January 2012 - 04:24 , said:

Thanks for posting! I have never been to the jail. Have you done the Sinn Fein walking tour of Dublin at all? Have you see n the new book on uniforms and badges of the IRB ?

Hi Ulsterman, glad you found them interesting & if you are ever in Dublin to do the Kilmainham tour on a weekend day give me a shout and I can head along. I don't have the book on badges & uniforms of the IRB you mentioned. I do have an osprey style one 'Irish Volunteer soldier 1913-23' but I don't think I have anything IRB specific.

I'd definitely recommend the Kilmainham Jail Museum visit if you get a chance. It is also walking distance from the Museum of Modern Art or Collins Barracks Military museum, (also the Islandbridge War Memorial gardens are just around the corner).

I have not done the 'Sinn Fein walking tour of Rebellion Dublin' though I pass by the signs for it regularly. Their hq is beside the Teachers club in Parnell St (where one of the two ongoing regular Dublin militaria meetings take place regularly).

There is a non-Sinn Fein 'Dublin 1916' walking tour which I have done (twice I think) a couple of years ago.

It's run by two guys, one of them Lorcan Collins I have met a few times at other events and is the author of this book :

http://www.1916rising.com/book.html



I'd recommend that tour and that book too as it is a handy enough reference book for a visit.

I think that tour 'Dublin 1916' places an overly heavy emphasis on the socialist aspect of things, ignoring the traditional Catholic non- or even anti-socialist aspect, but otherwise it's worth the time.

The guide is knowledgable and a good laugh.

Not to confuse things but there is ocassionally a totally different, limited tour which is run by the 'Save 16 Moore St.' Committee.

This group from time to time mount displays of very rare republican material relating to the Rising Leaders. Volunteer uniforms and private family items not in museums, this is in order to raise interest in the preservation of the Moore St buildings from a property developer who wants to put another shopping mall in that area.

This 'Save Moore St' committee (which I am not a member of) is composed of descendants of 1916 leaders and their tour of the urban battlefield of Dublin during the 1916 Rising is limited to the area behind the GPO onto moore St, where the rebels held out in, also around where the O'Rahilly was killed.

This tour given to prominent Irish politicians (& foreign visitors) to gather support for the preservation of the Moore St Rebel headquarters.

I participated in that tour when the guest politician was Irish 2011 Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness (there is also footage on youtube of the Enda Kenny & Brian Lenihan tours). I have put the photos of that (MMG) tour online here, though it's mostly pictures of a crowd of people & media you can work out the route as they are in sequence.

http://www.militaria...rest/index.html

Quote

Save 16 Moore Street - Irish Presidential Candidate Martin McGuinness & descendants of the 1916 Easter Rising Proclamation Signatories at the GPO Dublin, 21st October 2011

The 'Save 16 Moore Street Campaign' have provided guided tours to some of Ireland's leading politicians in recent years, including Brian Lenihan, Enda Kenny, and now Irish 2011 Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness. This group has no political bias and is open to all. On Friday 21st October 2011 Irish Presidential Candidate Martin McGuinness met with descendants of the 1916 Proclamation signatories at the GPO in Dublin to begin a 'Save 16 Moore Street Campaign' walking tour of the historic 1916 urban battlefield of Central Dublin. James Connolly Heron (Great Grandson of James Connolly) was among those who provided the tour which included discussion on the historical significance of the Moore St. area and particularly the terrace which includes numbers 14-17. These buildings are associated with the 1916 Rising as this is where the leaders of the Rising occuppied as they attempted to flee the GPO and continue the battle on Parnell Street. The Rebels tunnelled through this terrace of houses carrying a wounded James Connolly on a stretcher. A British Machine Gun Barricade and sniper fire from the Rotunda prevented this plan from success. The 1916 Surrender order was reluctantly signed in number 16 to prevent further loss of life. A property developer would like this area turned into a shopping mall & as anyone familiar with this part of Dublin will know there are already an abundance of shopping malls and developments in this general area. There are no 1916 Easter Rising Heritage, or museum attractions in this area whatsoever. The 14-17 Terrace is now a National Monument, however this has not provided adequate protection, only the Building Facades are protected and the buildings themselves are set to be demolished. The Save 16 Moore Street campaign believe the Moore St. area should be developed into a world class National Monument that all could be proud of. This proposal called "HQ16" has recieved widespread public support. As an item of trivia - the 'Save 16 Moore Street' Campaign badge was prominently worn by Martin McGuinness days later on the RTE 'Frontline' Live Television debate in which Martin McGuinness famously confronted Sean Gallagher over 'envelope' payments which Sean Gallagher collected of up to €5000 on behalf of Fianna Fail.

Irish Presidential Candidate Martin McGuinness meeting the descendants of the 1916 Proclamation signatories, the GPO Dublin, 21st October 2011.



This is the O'Rahilly plaque




Close up of text :
The O'Rahilly note, written as he lay dying having been shot. "Darling Nancy, I was shot leading a rush up Moore Street took refuge in doorway. While I was there I heard the men pointing out where I was and I made a bolt for the lane I am in now I got more one bullet I think Tons and tons of love dearie to you and the boys and to Nell and Anna. It was a good fight anyhow. Please deliver this to Nancy O'Rahilly 40 Herbert park Dublin. Goodbye darling"

[Ulsterman]

wow- Martin McGuinness running for president of the Republic- he's come a long way since Bloody Sunday with his tommy gun.
Very cool. I doubt I shall ever get back to Ireland (unless the salmon fishing improves) but thanks for the offer.
The Sinn Fein Bookshop ad popped up on my Facebook page on Friday so I had a quick look at their on-line  catalogue and was delighted to see a series of very interesting-lavishly illustrated-books on volunteer uniforms and insignia. I was wondering if you had seen them at all, as they look really good.
There was a guy here @ 8 years ago who was renovating his house and out fell a 1916 officers jacket-still wrapped in old newspapers, with the harp buttons. I almost had a heart attack!
Last time I was actually in the bookshop, Thatcher was still PM and there a strikingly attractive receptionist with pale blond hair and an Abba-style white jump suit that made quite an impression on me!

[gerardkenny]

Indeed and by chance today is the 40th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday too.  I must check out that bookshop, last time I was in there it was to purchase Irish language course material.

Those stories of people finding tunics etc crop up from time to time   There have also been a couple of times recently where people found old grenades and weaponry under floorboards etc :

http://www.rte.ie/ne...817/dublin.html

I heard another story recently of a person who went around to old Garda stations and cleared out the attics. I don't have much detail but I'd have thought there'd be some RIC items in among that lot.   I think there still are a lot of items out there waiting to be found.  Civil War bitterness meant a lot of it would have been too painful to keep on display and I think some of that would have been put in storage and then forgotten about.

Edited by gerardkenny, 30 January 2012 - 14:31 .

[Ulsterman]

Yup- this photo popped up in a boot sale amidst a mound of old comics, bills, photos of people in the 1940s at the beach etc.. a few summers ago- it cost me $1!

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[gerardkenny]

$1 !!!!!!!

I must be going to the wrong boot sales, never came across anything like that for a $1.

[Ulsterman]

He was KIA too!

[Danny70]

Gerard,

Many thanks for posting this excellent presentation and I have to say that your photography is beautiful.
I have always meant to visit Kilmainham and never did get around to it... I've been kicking myself for not doing so when I lived in Dublin.
Someday soon hopefully.
BTW, How did you manage to get access to the closed areas?

Regards - Danny

[gerardkenny]

Hi Danny, glad you liked them. I got access to those areas through the 1916-1921 Club.  There was a tour organised of the areas of the Jail normally not open to the public (mainly due to health and safety rules as some of the parts we visited were not as well rennovated, missing floorboards & that sort of thing).  

One of the guides was Liz Gillis who wrote this fine book :

http://www.mercierpr..._of_Dublin/586/



as part of the Mercier Civil War Series.  She showed us a 'hole in the wall'   (more like an outline where there once had been a wall now bricked over) where it's believed an escape had been planned to an advanced stage.

The other guide was Mícheál Ó Doibhilín who has written about Anne Devlin (I have not yet read his books on this subject). We also got to see Anne Devlin's cell and it was gruesome. It's hard to describe, basically the entrance is about thigh high, you have to duck down to enter and when you are inside it is totally dark - no windows - just the 4 walls with a sloped floor so that fluids run off. Anne Devlin was Robert Emmetts housekeeper, arrested and tortured along with her entire family in order that she would give the names of the 1803 Rising supporters (including wealthy Irish protestants the British wanted to get their hands on). She refused (despite also an offer of £500 which was a fortune at that time). She had an absolutely horrific time of it there from all accounts & suffice to say her health never recovered.

PS the Armoured car mentioned in pic # 2 of Post 16 relates to this story :

Tributes on the death of Col.Patrick McCrea, McCrea took part in the Michael Collins' organised rescue attempt of Captured I.R.A. Leader Sean MacEoin. Six IRA Volunteers, led by Paddy O'Daly, captured a British armoured car and, wearing British army uniforms, gained access to Mountjoy Jail. However, Mac Eoin was not in the part of the jail they believed, and after some shooting, the rescue party retreated.