1916 - What the People Saw

by Mick O'Farrell

Overview

When the rebellion of 1916 had ended, more than 400 people were dead and over 2,000 wounded. More than half of these were civilians, but even for those civilians who were not direct casualties, the rising was one of the most momentous experiences of their lives. The accounts that Mick O'Farrell has collected come from letters, diaries, extracts from otherwise unrelated biographies, and contemporary magazine and newspaper articles. Some common themes are present in the accounts. For instance, a fear of going hungry, which resulted in constant, and dangerous, attempts to stock up with supplies. There was also a grim realisation (despite two years of World War) that war had arrived on their doorstep: 'We know a bit what War is like now'. For some, there was even an undeniable element of excitement – one witness writes that 'now that it's over, none of us would've missed it for the world'. After watching a woman shot in the street, another witness notes that he 'saw a man rush out and take a snapshot'. Elsewhere, there are 'crowds looking on as if at a sham battle'. For most, however, it was the kind of excitement they could do without: Complementing the many historical accounts of the rising and statements from the participants, this book gives a real flavour of what it was like to live through history in the making.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781172087
Publisher:	Mercier Press, Limited, The
Publication date:	06/01/2013
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Mick O'Farrell was born in Dublin in 1966, the year of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. He has been studying the history and locations of the Rising for some years.He is the author of '50 Things You Didn't know about 1916' and 'A Walk Through Rebel Dublin 1916'.

Read an Excerpt

When the rebellion of 1916 had ended, more than 400 people were dead and over 2,000 wounded. More than half of these were civilians, but even for those civilians who were not direct casualties, the rising was one of the most momentous experiences of their lives. The accounts that Mick O'Farrell has collected come from letters, diaries, extracts from otherwise unrelated biographies, and contemporary magazine and newspaper articles.

Some common themes are present in the accounts. For instance, a fear of going hungry, which resulted in constant, and dangerous, attempts to stock up with supplies. There was also a grim realisation (despite two years of World War) that war had arrived on their doorstep: ‘We know a bit what War is like now’. For some, there was even an undeniable element of excitement – one witness writes that ‘now that it’s over, none of us would’ve missed it for the world’. After watching a woman shot in the street, another witness notes that he ‘saw a man rush out and take a snapshot’. Elsewhere, there are ‘crowds looking on as if at a sham battle’. For most, however, it was the kind of excitement they could do without:

Complimenting the many historical accounts of the rising and statements from the participants, this book gives a real flavour of what it was like to live through history in the making.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Map 8

The Easter Rising, day by day 9

Introduction 13

'The streets are not exactly health resorts' 17

'As he lay on his back he spouted blood like a fountain' 25

'The poor dog is nearly out of her mind' 32

'Wait a minute - have a look at our corpse first!' 38

'Notwithstanding the sound of machine-guns and cannon, I was completely engrossed in my reading' 54

'Within three hours of the outbreak of fighting, an amputation was going on' 62

'All that made life worthwhile was being taken from us forever' 65

'The little war up in Dublin left Mayo unmoved' 74

'Here and there you had to step aside to avoid a dead man' 83

'The chivalry, the madness, the inevitable end' 92

'The people were thoroughly cowed' 104

'Her dear boy is at North Wall with his machine-gun 110

'The soldiers have come and we rejoice' 122

'Nothing to see except a dead horse lying at the street corner' 129

'Hear tramping on our roof and so discover that soldiers are posted there' 140

'They're barmy' the soldier said. 'That's wot tbey are.' 158

'The work had to be done where firing was in progress' 164

'This Larkinite & Sinn Fein rising' 175

'Wi' the Sinn Feiners in Dublin' 177

'It was a creepy business driving through the deserted streets' 193

'When I saw him he had less than twenty minutes to live' 201

'Sackville Street presented a bewildering aspect' 223

'The looters were working with frenzied energy' 250

'Those awful days when the rioters let loose their violence upon the city' 254

'Most of them were starved, hungry-looking poor fellows' 269

'A good deal of play-acting was kept up by the Sinn Feiners' 281

'It always gives an Irishman of the lower class immense pleasure to cut down a tree that does not belong to him' 288

'Crocodile tears being wept over the poor traitors' 302

'God has keeping of a good girl's soul' 304

Notes 306