PART ONE OF TEN SPECIAL MAGAZINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 1916 AND COLLECTION Friday 16 October 2015 www.independent.ie/1916 PATRICK PEARSE AND THE ROAD TO REBELLION From parliamentarians to paramilitaries INTRODUCTION FIONNÁN SHEAHAN EDITOR, IRISH Fact and fiction INDEPENDENT Welcome to the Irish to hit the screen Independent THE Easter Rising has been brought to television and 1916 Collection cinema screens before, but the centenary will see more and bigger productions than ever seen “To know your future, before. you must know your past, RTÉ will be showing a five-part each stepping stone that has serial drama called Rebellion been cast. which stars Charlie Murphy, Remember the good, Brian Gleeson and Sarah Greene. as well as the bad, Other big names who appear and feel the emotions of happy include Ian McElhinney, Michelle and sad.” Fairey and Ruth Bradley. The serial, directed by LBEIT entirely unrelated acclaimed Finnish director Aku to the events of the Easter Louhimies, begins in 1914 and To mark the 50th anniversary of the Rising, RTÉ (itself just A Rising in 1916, the words follows a group of characters four years old at the time), broadcast an eight-part drama, of the contemporary Canadian as they become caught up in Insurrection, which showed the events of 1916 as if TV existed at poet Margaret Jang strike a political events that culminated the time and they were covering the news story of the Rising. chord when seeking to in the Easter Rising. appreciate the events of 100 “It is a drama, not a history also be shown in the Spring which The documentary team say it years ago. lesson, and our story is told from has been made mostly with funds aims to “internationalise” the A seminal moment in the the perspectives of a group of from an American university, events of Easter Week and to history of the nation, the Rising fictional characters who live with 20 per cent of its budget place them in their “historical, is a perennially evolving topic, through the political events of coming from RTÉ and Section 481 political and cultural contexts, as interpreted in a myriad of ways. 1916”, explained RTÉ head of funding. the precursor to an independent The majority of public drama Jane Gogan. “Men, women The Irish Rebellion will be Irish State and the disintegration opinion regards it as an attempt and children from Belfast, Dublin shown on American Public of colonial empires”. to end British rule in Ireland, and London — people whose lives Television, RTÉ and the BBC, and The Irish Rebellion is designed which was pivotal in the were irrevocably changed by this is also expected to be shown in by Annie Atkins, who won an ultimate achievement of extraordinary period,” she added. Australia, New Zealand, India, Oscar for her work on the film The independence. A three-part documentary will Canada, and parts of Europe. Grand Budapest Hotel. LS However, it is also a divisive debating point and there is still IN MEMORIAM REBEL TALES a school of thought that views it as a blood sacrifice which ‘I blew the lock interfered with a peaceful path to First shots of Rising fired this goal. with a pistol Approaching the centenary, in Clonadadoran, Co Laois such debates, conducted in a and... reported respectful and inclusive manner, ALMOST every town in Ireland reinforcements by rail to Dublin. have a role in heightening the pays some tribute to the rebels As they lay in wait, they spotted to Cmdt Pearse’ understanding of 1916. of 1916 in the name of a street, a railway employee carrying The purpose of the Irish park or railway station. There a lamp as he walked the line, Independent 1916 Collection is to are also many commemorative checking the track for damage. EAMON BULFIN was born tell the story of 1916 and lead to plaques and statues, detailed on The rebels called out and a shot in Argentina where his father a greater appreciation of those irishwarmemorials.ie. was fired at him. William was a newspaper editor. momentous events of a century One of the most interesting The railway company later Eamon was a student at Patrick ago. is in a townland called applied for £328 in compensation Pearse’s school, St Enda’s and at In partnership with UCD Clonadadoran, which lies about for “the alleged malicious UCD. At home in Rathfarnham and Ireland 2016, the Irish 6km south of Portlaoise on destruction of 60 yards of the on Easter Monday morning, he Independent is marking those the road to Abbeyleix. There, a permanent way, twelve 30ft received orders to go into the city events with this unique collection granite pillar marks the spot in rails, 66 sleepers, 208 bolts, one where he broke into the GPO from of 10 special magazines. Colt Wood where the first shots locomotive engine and one bogey a window in North Princes Street. Published between now and were fired in the Rising. brake carriage.” “There was a small window March, the Irish Independent On the eve of the taking of the In 1996 a memorial was about four feet from the ground 1916 Collection is a must-read GPO a group of Laois volunteers erected telling the story and on the side of the Post Office.I for anyone with an interest in destroyed a section of the railway listing those involved with a broke the window with my rifle – Ireland’s birth as a nation. line to prevent the British sending plaque depicting the derailing. GS and incidentally broke my rifle. The collection covers the Any chaps that were near me personalities, events, themes and IN THE PAPERS I called them out by name and legacy of this historic period, ‘hooched’ them up the window. providing the background to the “Jack Kiely was actually on 485 lives lost during the event Frontline news, provincial his hands and knees on the as well as the countless others it windowsill, when he was hit by a touched. rugby and a 42-shilling suit bullet. We brought the wounded Combining academic man into the Post Office. We scholarship with journalism, THE Irish Independent of wartime, but the paper previewed got into the sorting room but this series aims to record and Saturday 22 April, 1916, two days a charity match at Lansdowne there was no-one there and analyse the history and the before the Rising, was full of news Road between Leinster and the door leading into the main politics, but also the social and from the war, reporting on fierce Ulster, and reported on the hall was locked,I blew the lock political aspects of the rebellion. fighting at Verdun in France, and Grocers annual sports day at with a pistol and… reported to Vitally, the Irish Independent successes against the Turks in Croke Park. Commandant Pearse.” 1916 Collection will be as what is now Iraq. English soccer was confined to Later that day he went to the accessible as possible, as Meanwhile, a four-year-old regional leagues, and in London, roof with Willie Pearse and raised relevant to history buffs as heifer bought in Belfast was Chelsea beat Arsenal 9-0, while a white flag with the words ‘Irish those with a passing interest found to have in her intestines “a up in Lancashire it was Liverpool Republic’ over the GPO. After the whose consciences have been half-sovereign, a florin, a shilling 5 Everton 2 and Man United 3 Rising he was sentenced to death heightened by the anniversary. and two pennies”. All those Stockport County 2. but then deported to Argentina. Know your past and coins came to 13 shillings and In the adverts you could buy a He later returned and was active understand your future, with twopence — a week’s wages for suit from Hyam’s of Dame Street in local politics. He died in 1968 the Irish Independent 1916 many people. for 42 shillings, or about €2.60 in and a road in Inchicore, Dublin 8 Collection. There was little sport during modern money. FC is named after him. GS 2 | Irish Independent 1916 Collection Irish Independent I 16 October 2015 INTRODUCTION THE LOST CHILDREN Shot while Contents he begged 4 PARLIAMENTARIANS TO PARAMILITARIES Conor Mulvagh explains for his the years leading up to 1916 father’s life 7 BLOOD UPON THE ROSE Gavin Corbett on a stunning graphic novel about the Rising FORTY children died during the Easter Rising, 8 ASQUITH’S FLAWED about 9 per cent of the IRISH COMPROMISE total fatalities. Some were Ronan Fanning on the active participants, others Home Rule and Ulster crises messengers for the rebels. But most had no connection 11 WILLIE PEARSE with the fighting and were Leanne Blaney on the caught in crossfire or shot devoted younger brother Brian Gleeson in RTÉ’s five-part by snipers. Some were serial drama ‘Rebellion’, which also babies, shot in their 12 PATRICK PEARSE stars (above, l–r) Charlie Murphy, prams or in their mother’s Regina Uí Chollatáin and Ruth Bradley and Sarah Greene arms. Richard McElligott on the The area behind the Four many sides of Pearse Courts saw some of the fiercest fighting of Easter 16 UCD’S CENTRAL ROLE Week, with over 40 British The university in 1916 casualties. On Friday it was decided 24 LEARN MORE to clear the area of rebels IN ASSOCIATION WITH and the soldiers of the South Staffordshire Regiment were enraged at losing so PART ONE OF TEN many comrades. SPECIAL MAGAZINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Kate Kelly, who did housework for the Hickey 1916 AND family who owned a COLLECTION butchers at No.