Liberty Hall

Upon arrival at the GPO Commandant PH Pearse stepped forward and read the Proclamation of the provisional Government of the Irish Republic. This mobilization caused mild consternation to the onlookers some of whom were busy trying to get public transport to Fairy house Racecourse for the Irish Grand Steeplechase. The rebels quickly fell on the post office and before long the building was occupied and their flag unfurled aloft.
 

GPO

Key positions guarding the main routes into the capital were occupied including The South Dublin Union to the west and Boland’s Bakery/ Mount Street Bridge to the south. The initial British response was to send a group of lancers down Sackville Street to root out the rebels. The occupants of the GPO responded with gunfire and the lancers retreated with heavy casualties. Similarly a small garrison of volunteers at Mount Street Bridge repulsed a totally inept frontal attack on their positions with many lives lost on the British side.
 

Mount Street Bridge

As the week progressed the fighting intensified as the British became more aware of he rebels positions and strength in numbers. They introduced artillery, which pounded in a very random manner the centre of the city. In particular the gunboat the Helga was taken up the Liffey and from her berth alongside the Custom House the shells caused much destruction.
 

The Custom House

The arrival of thousands of reinforcements into the city enabled the British army leadership to focus more sharply on eliminating the rebels who were effectively confined to Dublin city centre and its inner suburbs. The volunteers fought tenaciously at all the centres commanded by officers such as Comdt. Eamonn Ceannt, Eamonn de Valera and Sean Heuston among others. Certainly the British army leadership was taken by surprise and cables flashed to and fro across the Irish Sea between London and Dublin.
 

Bolands Mills

A substantial column of British soldiers, despatched from Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, to the GPO was met with fierce resistance from the South Dublin Union garrison, commanded by Eamonn Cant. Similarly at other locations around the city rebel outposts kept the invading British forces at bay. In the end the artillery had its effect; the interior of the GPO was in ruins, Sackville Street itself was nearly completely destroyed and a ring of steel was fast encircling the insurgents at the GPO.
 

City Centre In Ruins

The leadership eventually decided to vacate the GPO; having come in the front door they left by the back door towards Moore Lane. When they reached number 16 Moore Street an army council decided to proffer surrender. A young nurse, Elizabeth O’Farrell was selected to bring the surrender document to the Officer in command British Forces, General Lowe. Around this time instructions to the OCs of the outlying garrisons were also despatched. These instructions were accepted with varying degrees of compliance.
 

GPO In Ruins

When the negotiations were completed and an unconditional surrender accepted by Pearse he led his forces from cover to effect the surrender. With the help of British officers in the field and some local informers the ringleaders were selected and taken to Kilmainham Gaol. At this stage it appeared that the Rising was a disaster and indeed many of the citizens of Dublin vented their spleen against the Volunteers and the leadership as they were being brought away. Contemporary newspaper accounts testify to this. The courts martial of the leaders of the Rising were hastily organised and a series of executions commenced. The local British army leadership was anxious to eliminate by firing squad the entire leadership and to a large extent was given the autonomy to proceed by a Westminster government focussing on the war in France.
 

Newspapers reflect public opinion

It was only after the execution of James Connolly in his chair that public opinion changed to revulsion. The executions finally ceased but the damage had been done and to paraphrase W.B. Yeats ;all changed, changed utterly. A terrible beauty was born.