I SSN 0010- 9460 0 3 THE DEFENCEFORCESMAGAZINE 2006 APRIL-MAY THE DEFENCEFORCESMAGAZINE 2006 APRIL-MAY 9 770010 946001 € € 4.40 (Stg£2.80) 4.40 (Stg£2.80) Sackville Street (now O’Connell Street) in flames during the rising. Easter Monday are sent from think is manned by shop in Moore April 24th England. By early insurgents. Street. 1100: Approximately morning the insur- 1,200 Volunteers gents are already Afternoon: Heavy fight- Afternoon: General (including 200 outnumbered four ing continues Maxwell arrives in Citizen Army) to one. British throughout the city. Ireland at 2pm and assemble at troops occupy the British reinforce- takes command of Liberty Hall. Shelbourne Hotel, ments flow in. One the British forces. overlooking insur- such group, the He issues a decla- 1200: Patrick Pearse gent positions in Sherwood ration promising and the HQ group St Stephen’s Forresters, try to tough action of 150 arrive at Green and open take insurgent against the insur- GPO. Pearse fire on the rebels positions around gents. Heavy reads the at first light. Mount Street street fighting con- Proclamation Bridge and incur tinues, particularly from the steps of Early morning: the heaviest casu- heavy in the North the GPO. Insurgents in St alties of the King Street area. Stephen’s Green week’s fighting. 1500: A troop of cavalry take several casu- Saturday ride down alties and are Thursday April 29th Sackville Street forced to evacuate April 27th Morning: Insurgent (O’Connell Street) their positions. The British cordon leaders agree that and incur several The garrison around the GPO and the situation is casualties when moves to the near- the Four Courts is hopeless and sur- fired on by by College of tightened. The GPO render is the only insurgents from Surgeons. and much of Sackville option to save the the GPO Street are under con- lives of Volunteers 1130: General Lowe tinuous artillery bom- and citizens of Monday evening: declares martial bardment. James Dublin. Insurgent posi- law. Connolly is wounded tions established while supervising the 1245: Nurse Elizabeth throughout the Evening: British forces construction of a O’Farrell emerges city, including the spend the day barricade. Fighting con- from insurgent HQ Four Courts, St assessing the tinues throughout the in Moore Street Stephen’s Green, insurgents’ posi- city. under a flag of the South Dublin tions and truce and is Union (now St strength. Artillery brought to James’ Hospital), is sent for in order Friday General Lowe to Boland’s Bakery, to shell the rebel April 28th tell him of the Jacobs and Mount positions. Morning: Much of the insurgents’ inten- Street Bridge. GPO is on fire and tions. Wednesday badly damaged. Tuesday April 26th The insurgents 1430: Pearse, accom- April 25th Morning: The gunship evacuate the panied by Dawn: Overnight, Helga, moored building in groups. O’Farrell, meets troops in the close to the Pearse and with General Curragh and Customs House, Connolly, the lat- Lowe in Henry Belfast are begins to shell the ter on a stretcher, Street to accept mobilised and deserted Liberty are among the last the insurgents’ sent to Dublin. Hall, which the group to leave and unconditional Reinforcements British mistakenly move to a grocer’s surrender. TIMELINE EASTER WEEK 2 AN COSANTÓIR April-May 2006 An Cosantóir VOLUME 66 inside Number 3 April-May 2006 Message from the Personal Recollections MANAGER: 4 30 Capt Fergal Costello Minister for Defence EDITOR: A View from the Other Side 33 Sgt Willie Braine Message from the 5 JOURNALISTS: Chief of Staff The Ashbourne Engagement Terry McLaughlin 34 Wesley Bourke The Road to Rebellion 6 We Surrender 37 CONNECT: Sgt David Nagle A Military Analysis 12 An Náisiúnachas Cultúrtha PHOTOGRAPHER: 40 Armn Billy Galligan From the Archives 17 SUBSCRIPTIONS: Executed 42 Sgt David Nagle The Volunteer Uniform 18 ADVERTISING: Past Commemorations 46 Sgt Willie Braine Discovering the Past Tel: 01-8042691 20 Mobile: 087 2076807 Educating the Young Soldiers 22 The Aftermath 48 Printed by Kilkenny People, The Birth of a Nation Kilkenny. A Tale of Two Soldiers 25 50 The fact that an article appears in this magazine The Situation in Cork 26 The Proclamation 51 does not indicate official approval of the views expressed by the author. Editorial © Published by OiC Public Relations This double-size issue of An Cosantóir is being Section for the Defence brought out to mark the 90th anniversary of the Forces at DFHQ, Parkgate, 1916 Rising by members of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Dublin 8, Ireland. This year also marks the return of the military Tel: 01 8042691 parade down O'Connell Street by the modern Fax: 01 6779018 Óglaigh na hÉireann, the Defence Forces. E-mail: ancosantoir @defenceforces.iol.ie We would like to thank the members of the editorial committee set up to assist us in producing this magazine: Comdt Victor Front cover: Laing, Sgt Christy Donovan and Pte Alan Capt Tom Ryan (6 Inf Bn) Manning (Military Archives); Comdt Liam reading the Proclamation Campbell, Comdt Brendan O'Shea, CQMS during rehearsals outside Gerry White and Armn Michael Whelan. the GPO. We could not have even attempted to Photo: Armn Billy Galligan. tackle this magazine without their expertise, knowledge, and contribu- tions. In particular we would like to thank Comdt Liam Campbell who, thanks to his proximity to our office, www.military.ie/pr/an_cosantoir was our constant touchstone. AN COSANTÓIR April-May 2006 3 ast May, I had the pleasure of reviewing the marks the coming together of the leaders of the members of the 93rd infantry battalion who were Republican and Labour movements, Pearse and then leaving for duty with the United Missions in Connolly, to proclaim a free Irish Republic in which LLiberia. During the course of my speech on that the egalitarian ideal was central. day I said: “The men and women of 1916 fought for The Volunteers of 1916 fought against over- the right of self determination for the people of whelming military odds in their struggle to establish Ireland. How proud they would be to see their suc- our right to self-determination. Their leaders, in cessor generations protecting the peoples of other particular the seven signatories of the small nations and helping them to achieve the Proclamation, gave their lives for an ideal. peace and freedom we ourselves long sought.” This ideal was enshrined in the Proclamation, the This is the spirit behind the march past the GPO visionary document that became the charter for by Óglaigh na hÉireann – the Defence Forces. The Irish freedom. parade will reflect how your role has evolved, partic- Our commemorations do more than just recall ularly your significant contribution to United and recognise the events of Easter week – we Nations peacekeeping. honour and remember what it inspired – our inde- Since 1958 you and your predecessors have pendence and freedom. In doing that we pay tribute served, across the globe, as Ambassadors for to both the statesmen who founded the Free State, Ireland. Your courage, your dedication and unselfish as well as those who stood by the Republic. We humanity is very much what the authors of the 1916 recognise that they were all patriots, they all Proclamation would have envisaged for their suc- shared the same objective: Irish freedom and sov- cessors. ereignty. The 90th anniversary is an appropriate and suit- As we prepare for the centenary we will continue able point to commence planning for the centenary to mark, in the most inclusive possible manner, the commemorations of 1916. The Government has re- passage into history of both the great achievements instated the military parade as an expression of our and deep wounds associated with our transition to pride, as a nation, in all those who took part in the political independence. Rising and the subsequent War of Independence. Over the coming years the scope of the 1916 We do not commemorate the events of 1916 to commemorations will expand to include a range of bolster a particular reading of history. We commem- cultural, academic and societal events. However, orate it to advance a greater understanding of the the role of our Defence Forces – Óglaigh na period as a whole. hÉireann – the successors to the Irish Volunteers, Our State has its roots in Easter Week 1916. It will remain central.■ Message from the Minister for Defence Mr Willie O’Dea, TD Minister for Defence, Mr Willie O’Dea TD, inspects members of the Defence Forces bound for service with UNMIL in Liberia. Photo: Armn Billy Galligan 4 AN COSANTÓIR April-May 2006 n 1966 as a young Lieutenant I was a member of the Mount Street Bridge area, dispatched home two Colour Party that lead the military parade down Volunteers because of how young they were. You will O’Connell Street as part of the 50th commemora- also read of how a party of British soldiers buried the Ition ceremonies of 1916. On 16 April I will have the remains of the same Lieut some days later and honour of serving as Chief of Staff of Óglaigh na arranged for a priest to officiate at the burial. hÉireann as we once again parade down O’Connell Professional soldiers must have professional Street, this time as part of the 90th commemoration standards and in today’s world, where our peace sup- ceremonies. port operations are carried out more and more in Óglaigh na hÉireann, the Defence Forces, consist- intra state civil war situations, the challenge is even ing of the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and greater. Today’s peacekeeper must be fully versed in FORWARDS Reserve have their genesis in the Irish Volunteers the Laws of Armed conflict and International Human formed in 1913 and consequently in the events of Rights Law and be imbued with the moral responsi- Easter Week 1916.