Poem ~ The Rise Of Ireland: An Exhausted Rebellion - Sunday, 30 April 1916

Source: File: The Easter Rising 1916 (real footage of aftermath). [online]: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cew_ZLgi3Cc> (PD-US) [Accessed: 30 April 2016]

Impression sketch Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell. [online] See original image at: <http://www.thejournal.ie/eirebrushed-play-1428985-Apr2014/> [Accessed: 30 April 2016]

Sunday - Surrender with Hope

From radical nationalist efforts

Dublin city centre

Lay in ruins - beaten to rubble

By the British army.

As the sun rose on Sunday

30 April 1916,

Citizens emerged, sifting debris.

Yet events of past few days were

Not fully concluded;

3rd Battalion of Irish Volunteers

Maintained strongholds.

South of the city beyond Brunswick

Street barricades,

Two lone priests set out on a walk.

Capuchin Priests becoming involved

With the surrender,

Convey a signed order by Pearse,

Walking to Jacobs factory -

A third priest carries same to rebels

On Brunswick Street;

Holohan tells his men he'd rather die.

But the group of 50 begins a march at

10 a.m. North King Street.

Nurse O'Farrell meets rebels at Bollards

Bakery, but De Valera

Replies, 'order has no weight' - efforts

By priests end by MacDonagh

Agreeing to speak to General Lowe.

Past midday the Irish Citizen army

Finally surrenders -

While talks go on between sides

Some rebels are still

Defiant - Lowe and MacDonagh

Meet the priests,

Who are told of a truce till 3 p.m.

MacDonagh informs his Battalion

Of intended surrender -

'We will fight it out!' shout some,

But to no avail - those

Not in uniform can flee if they so wish -

Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell,
Though exhausted, keeps her mission.

Other holdouts receive this news,

To smash guns in anger -

Others stayed as snipers on rooftops.

On the ground MacDonagh

Hands his revolver to General Lowe.

The afternoon wears on,

With emerging garrisons marching.

Exhausted and hungry they are

Met by varied reactions.

Respect equaled by threatening

Behaviours, from citizens

And Army alike - volunteers pass

Gate of St Patrick's Park -

Crowds of eyes turn to consider them.

The day has reached mid afternoon,

As Irish Battalions

March from their fortresses, onto

Streets and captivity -

Among the ranks remained disbelief,

But weary from

A week long fight, most comply.

Time slowly turns to evening - for

The 3rd Battalion

Is led from Bolands Bakery by

O'Connor, met

By infantry described as, 'baying

For blood' - a mood

Lifts as Canal Street crowds cheer.

A great mix of emotions continues

As guns are laid down

In Grattan Street - the remaining

Leaders watch men

Put down their arms - the pavement

Covered in weapons,

O'Connor steps forward with his sword.

This had been given to him on Good

Friday as mark

Of the men's respect - O'Connor returns

The respect, placing

The sword to rest atop of the guns;

In a fight for a republic,

These Irish men faced a future unknown.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: The Irish Times: An Easter Rising timeline: Sunday, April 30th, 1916, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/an-easter-rising-timeline-sunday-april-30th-1916-1.2194023> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising 1916: Six days of armed struggle that changed Irish and British history. Online. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35873316> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Source: File: The 1916 Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland-1845-to-1922/the-1916-easter-rising/> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Source: File: The Battle for the South Dublin Union 1916 by Paul O'Brien Author, Irish Military Historian. Online. Available at: <http://www.paulobrienauthor.ie/436-2/> [Accessed 30 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 29 April 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ireland

Poem ~ The Rise Of Ireland: White Flags Raised - Saturday, 29 April 1916

Impression sketch of Pearse and Nurse O'Farrell surrender to the British. Taken from a still of TV production 'Insurrection' 1966 [online] See original image at: <http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/25819> [Accessed: 29 April 2016]

Saturday 29 April - Cracks of Surrender

i

Saturday began as Friday ended -

Staffordshires make

Dawn charge of Reilly's fort to be

Cut down under fire

From various directions  - snipers

Remain on eager watch;

A silent Moore street is death trap.

Plans are unfolded by McLoughlin.

A diversion fight

Was to allow others to make run

For the Four Courts -

Terrace houses have become

A front line fortress

As a plan is asked of a charge.

Exhausted the ranks are split

Many are willing

Still to go on, as others lack any

Such ability - with

Early hours of daylight situations

At each holdout

Despite hardships, are standing firm.

Civilians, nothing to do with either

Side continue to get

Court in crossfire - a girl is mistakenly

Shot - while a family

Holding a white flag are gunned down;

Any kind of movement

Real or imagined was being shot at.

Staffordshire’s make chase of rebels

Fleeing Reilly's Fort -

Which is stopped from being taken

From a gun position

Mounted in a bakery - mid day and

A nurse from rebel HQ

Carrying a white flag is nearly shot.

The Nurse reaches British barricade.

About pockets of attack

And counter attacks, while injured

And dead cover streets,

The dire situation had driven out

Nurse Elizabeth Farrell

And Patrick Pearse in change of heart.

ii

The two stand before General Lowe.

Under cover, terms

Of surrender began to be discussed.

Mid afternoon finds

Nurse Farrell return to Moore Street

HQ to pass on orders -

Leader Connolly emerges on a stretcher.

The wounded leader is very carefully

Carried over barricade -

Acceptance of the rebel leaders bravery 

Is silently respected.

Hours shift on and Nurse Farrell plays

A further part, while

Delivering surrender order to Ned Daly.

With volunteers together in Four

Courts, Daly informs

Them of surrender - their surprise

Prompts arguments,

That they could hold out much longer.

Bridewell roof snipers

Are given word - initially they refuse.

Further orders are given - the men

Reluctantly put down

Their arms - 7p.m. passes, Sackville

Street complies

To finally give selves up; McLoughlin

Whose order to rebels

To deposit arms, markedly enrages

General Lowe, who

Had said leave arms on Moore Street.

Pockets of defiance still existed

About the city while

Treatment of exhausted prisoners

Held by infantry varied

From indifference, while some

Handle them roughly;

Others were considerate captors.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: The Irish Times: An Easter Rising timeline: Saturday April 29, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/an-easter-rising-timeline-saturday-april-29th-1916-1.2192252> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising 1916: Six days of armed struggle that changed Irish and British history. Online. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35873316> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Source: File: The 1916 Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland-1845-to-1922/the-1916-easter-rising/> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Source: File: The Battle for the South Dublin Union 1916 by Paul O'Brien Author, Irish Military Historian. Online. Available at: <http://www.paulobrienauthor.ie/436-2/> [Accessed 29 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 29 April 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ireland

Poem ~ The Rise Of Ireland: The Net Closes In - Friday, 28 April 1916

Source: File: A street barricade erected by the rebels in Dublin during the Rising. [online] See original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Osteraufstand_-_Dublin_-_Barrikade.jpg> (PD-US) [Accessed: 28 April 2016]

Friday - Dublin City, A Warfront

i

Dublin City took on appearance

Of Western Front,

As British recaptured various

Crucial holds -

Troops overnight creating slit

Trenches lines, as

Struggling Irish attempt regroups.

As daylight returned carnage

Covered Dublin streets -

Snipers renewed morning work,

To fire over littered

Ground and burnt out shells

Of cars and trams;

British armoured cars are seen.

Reactive intentions to kill caught

Insurgents are

Halted by hand of British Major -

To hold them

In the Custom house - elsewhere

Exhausted volunteers

Picks out distant khaki shapes.

But movements out in the Rialto

Cause hesitation -

As shallow graves are hurriedly

Made - over tense

Minute’s snipers and gunners

Play waiting games;

With silence broken by shots.

ii

Past midday Sherwood soldiers

Attempt to attack

Rear of GPO - here Henry Street

Snipers work

To fire point blank range, sending

Soldiers into retreat -

Volunteer morale remains high.

Afternoon creeps onwards with

The Staffordshires

Taking attack on North King Street.

Until barrages from

Public houses, Langhan and Reilly,

Force then into

Side streets, away from an ambush.

Mid afternoon, a renewal of attacks

For North King Street,

See Staffordshires battle against

Langan's pub - the

Concentrated fire is too much -

Another retreat

Leaves wounded on pavements.

A third fight for Reilly's pub results

In same - while Royal

Irish and Sherwood Foresters barricade

Moore Street, as British

Adapt street combat of Irish volunteers.

Echoes of artillery

Resound from Sackville to Henry Street.

iii

Buildings are collapsing all round them,

As artillery continues

On General Post Office and Metropole.

An armoured truck

Carries troops down North King Street

Halting at Lurgan Street -

A soldier emerges, immediately shot.

The metal beast lurches on it way,

Until halted at Bolton

Junction - the drivers are wounded.

Within the post office

A relentless barrage prompted need

To retreat - but yet

At 7.30 p.m. daylight gave little cover.

In under an hour, the Metropole

Hotel’s collapse leads

The men there into the GPO,

Where the fight

Was taking its toll on nerves

Of volunteers;

Debris falls about the occupiers.

Fires outside make the walls

Too hot to touch,

But firm resistance still shoots

From the windows -

Despite chaos, the leaders are

Controlling rebel battles -

Barricades edge out to streets.

Dusk arrives but is of little help,

As fires light up streets -

At 10 minutes to 10 p.m., the main

Structure of the GPO

Has collapsed - in desperation

A council meets to pass

Command to Sean McLoughlin.

Within the collapsing Dublin city

The decay is half

Hidden by night - scattered fires,

Fumes of destruction,

Fill every sense at pointless death;

As the living fight

Against the hopeless insanity.

Then a new headquarters is made,

At 16 Moore Street -

With sentries on duty, remains some

Semblance of hope

Among the men and women there -

In darkness artillery

Falls silent, replaced by lone shots.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: The Irish Times: An Easter Rising timeline: Friday, April 28th, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/an-easter-rising-timeline-friday-april-28th-1916-1.2191007> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising 1916: Six days of armed struggle that changed Irish and British history. Online. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35873316> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Source: File: The 1916 Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland-1845-to-1922/the-1916-easter-rising/> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Source: File: The Battle for the South Dublin Union 1916 by Paul O'Brien Author, Irish Military Historian. Online. Available at: <http://www.paulobrienauthor.ie/436-2/> [Accessed 28 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 28 April 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ireland

Poem ~ The Rise Of Ireland: A City On The Edge - Thursday, 27 April 1916

                                          Sites of 1916: GPO
                            Dr John Gibney discusses the events 

                    around the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising. 

                            Published on Jan 7, 2016. YouTube

Source: File: Easter Proclamation of 1916. [online] See original image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_of_the_Irish_Republic> (PD-US) [Accessed: 27 April 2016]

Thursday - Steadfast Rebels

While the initial British reaction

Had been slow to start,

Fierce resistance to Irish rebellion

Grew - so by the 4th day,

Prolonged street battles marked

Out each daylight hour;

Public buildings became fortresses.

Dublin had become a city on edge -

The imposing presence

Of the GPO at the heart of rebellion

Was by Thursday, isolated -

An option of messed infantry attack 

Used at Mount Street

Was abandoned, for another tactic.

Inside the GPO a nationalist stand

Of men and women

Remained, in the seat of Ireland's

Provisional government -

With German made mousers to fire

Against occupying forces,

Behind a bullet riddled frontage.

Backed up by artillery, Britain

Attacked its second

City - their intent to bring down

The idea of an illegal

Republic - the solid front held,

As the interior began
To burn, Irish hold crumbled.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Easter Rising 1916: Six days of armed struggle that changed Irish and British history. Online. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35873316> [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising> [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising> [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Source: File: The 1916 Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland-1845-to-1922/the-1916-easter-rising/> [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Source: File: The Battle for the South Dublin Union 1916 by Paul O'Brien Author, Irish Military Historian. Online. Available at: <http://www.paulobrienauthor.ie/436-2/> [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 April 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ireland

Poem ~ The Rise Of Ireland: Fight For Mount Street Bridge - Wednesday, 26 April 1916

Impression sketch of British soldiers under fire from 25 Northumberland Road. [online] See original image at: <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140804121949-136260425-the-battle-of-mount-street-bridge-1916> [Accessed: 26 April 2016]

Wednesday - Dublin Street Slaughter

i

The third day began as the second

Had ended - a small

Number of 26 Volunteers were led by

Sean Heuston, to hold

Mendicity Institute - outside gathered

British troops to

Number hundreds, who then advanced.

Inside they were running low

On ammo, as British

Came close enough to throw

Grenades inside -

The Irish threw them back -

Slow exhaustion

Led Heuston to make surrender.

Further English troops arrived -

British troops to number

1000 - these Sherwood Forresters

Marched from Kingstown's

Approach to Dublin city centre;

Progressing via Mount

Street Bridge and the Grand Canal.

Wednesday at 11 a.m. Malone

Led 17 Volunteers

To hold a key crossing point,

In order to stop

Any British troops entering centre;

At junction of roads,

Pembroke and Northumberland.

They held five positions at number

25, Parochial Hall,

A school and Clanwilliam House;

A commanding

Georgian building - while Malone

Byrne and Rowe,
Looked from the windows of 25.

With Irish barricaded in, came
'Thud, thud' of British
Boots, to echo down Dublin's road -

As they reached

The junction of Haddington road

Two rebels fired;

Soldiers fell as others ran to cover.

Without loaded rifles the British

Could do nothing -

Shots rang across the street -
Casualties increased

Until ceasefire - locals ran from

Houses to help

Carry the injured away to shelter.

These Sherwood Forresters

Landing in Ireland

Had been given six weeks basic

Training - many

Of them had yet to fire a first rifle -

Some perhaps thought

They had finally arrived in France.

ii

Part way on their march, news had

Come that rebels

Ahead occupied Northumberland

Road positions -

While Irish volunteers sent away

The youngest

Of their fighters, they waited.

The time was 12 O'clock when

Malone watched

British troops reaching junction -

Malone and Grace

Opened fire - out in the open

Ten soldiers fell -

As the order was called to fall.

Attempts to charge were taken, 

But an outflanked army

Failed - so casualties increased.

Without support

Of a lewis gun, a quick decision

Was taken, for covering

Fire and to charge with grenades.

In a pincer manouvre soldiers

With hand bombs

Rushed under rifle cover -

Many fell - while

The door was reached to be

Blown in - At Percy

Street, troops entered house.

In the hall of no 25, Grace

Cursed, as his rifle

Jammed - shouting to Malone

To get out - Grace

Took cover in the basement -

In running down

Stairs Malone was shot dead.

To clear any further resistance

In the house

Grenades were thrown, including

The cellar - hiding

Behind a metal stove Grace

Remained 

Hidden, until the fight ended.

Troops turned to the schoolhouse -

But fire from Parochial

Hall, cut into ranks at point blank.

More men fell injured

Or dead - moving to the back of hall,

Escaping volunteers 

Were stopped by British military.

The schoolhouse was found devoid

Of resistance - next was

Clanwilliam House - in this approach

Mount Street Bridge

Had to be crossed - General Lowe's

Orders, to take bridge

At all costs - so Forresters charged.

With volley after volley, the road

Became littered with cries

Of wounded - a ceasefire raised

As doctors and nurses

From Duns Hospital took wounded.

In resumption rebels 

took shots, as an officer's whistle blew.

Another charge and another, until

A breakthrough -

Smashing windows they entered

With grenades

Into rooms - a fire began that burnt

Down Clanwilliam;

Leaving 3 dead - 4 survivors fled.

Though other routes existed, Lowe
Kept a frontal fight.

With tragedy and heroism, a leafy

Dublin suburb saw

Equal determination on a street

War - where soldiers

And civilians died side by side.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Easter Rising 1916: Six days of armed struggle that changed Irish and British history. Online. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35873316> [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising> [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Source: File: Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising> [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Source: File: The 1916 Easter Rising. Online. Available at: <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland-1845-to-1922/the-1916-easter-rising/> [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Source: File: The Battle for the South Dublin Union 1916 by Paul O'Brien Author, Irish Military Historian. Online. Available at: <http://www.paulobrienauthor.ie/436-2/> [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 26 April 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ireland