Description

The rebellion of 1916 transformed Irish nationalist politics. However, outside of Dublin, there were only a handful of other outbreaks. One of these was at Ashbourne, Co. Meath and was organized by Volunteers from north Co. Dublin. This book explores the reasons for a rise in the Volunteer movement in north Co. Dublin. It examines the events of Easter week and explores what the rebellion meant to the general population of towns such as Skerries, where local Loyalist residents left their homes and paced the seashore for fear of attack from the Volunteers. While the Helga was heading up the river Liffey to bombard the city center, patrolling gunboats aimed their guns on the town of Skerries; a force of about 200 men of the North Staffordshire Regiment was landed by sea on Wednesday, 26 April, 1916; and strategic points in the town were fortified and a night-time curfew imposed on the towns inhabitants. The collapse of the rebellion saw thousands arrested and interned, among them men from north Co. Dublin, and these men's collective experiences form an integral part of this study. (Series: Maynooth Studies in Local History - Vol. 111)