An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie 28 | BY DÓNAL DENHAM EAMONN 'TED' TUKE: Footsoldier of the Rebellion E amonn Tuke was only 19 when he marched out on Easter Monday 1916 with the Irish Citizen Army under Comdt Mi- chael Mallin and Countess Markievicz. He wasn't a leader, nor was he among those who sacrificed their lives that week, but he was my maternal grandfather and my boyhood hero! Not only was he the most lovable of granddads but also my inspiration during my career in the Irish Diplomatic Service (1974- 2015). He didn't talk about his participation in 1916 and beyond, nor did he get to write it down in a witness statement. It was, therefore, one of my goals after retirement to trace as much of his life as I could. It is still a work in progress, but I am getting there with the help of such wonderful sources as the Bureau of Military Archives. I am eternally grateful to our Defence Forces for preserving these essential records for posterity! My grandfather, the eldest of seven siblings, four boys and three girls, was born on 12th October 1896, at 6 Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, close to the south quays and the Guinness brew- ery, where his father, Joseph, worked. His mother was Margaret Collins, a collar maker by trade. One brother, Joseph, joined the British Army, fighting in France and Belgium in 1917-18, before returning to join the National Army in 1922 and rising to the rank of commandant as Inspector of Transport, and retiring in 1954. Another brother joined the National Army following active service with the Dublin Brigade, IRA, which included the Cus- toms House raid of May 1922. My grandfather joined Fianna Éireann when it was founded. He had a musical ear and became proficient with the Irish war pipes, becoming a founding member of the Fintan Lalor and subsequently, Irish Citizen Army (ICA) Pipers. He is recorded as volunteer no. 79 in the ICA's recruitment roll, signing up with A Company, 1st Battalion, in 1913, at the age of 16. Before the Rising he was an apprentice general worker at 'Uncle Arthur's' where his father was employed, but according to Guinness's excellent staff records he was adjudged to have been 'Un- satisfactory' in his attendance record, 'having participated in the Sinn Féin Rebellion and subsequently did not return to work', and was dismissed without any compensation. (At the time he was detained elsewhere at His Britannic Maj- esty's pleasure! I hope the company's human resources policies and practises have improved since!) In April 1916 he was one of the relatively small contingent, 200 or so, who took control of Stephen's Green on that fateful Monday morning and who subsequently occupied the College of Surgeons until reluctantly surrendering to British Forces the following Saturday. Details of their fight throughout that week are well documented elsewhere, and I was pleased to discover a few brief references to my granddad in Frank Robbins' account, Under the Starry Plough, which suggests among other things that Ted Tuke did fire his weapon in anger (one of the first of the ICA group to do so) and whose knowledge of the local area proved useful in the unit's scavenging for food supplies as the week went on. ICA women were early beneficiaries of equality, serving on the front line during that week of intense battle. Some of their brav- ery under fire is recorded, including those seriously wounded, although they were denied proper recognition at the time, and even now, of their contribution because of their gender. Several notable women, apart from The Countess, were on ac- tive service in the College that week, including Marga- ret Skinnider, Rosie Hackett, Mary Hyland, Margaret Ryan, Eileen Conroy, Mag- gie Joyce and Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen (cf. Roll of Honour, 1936) – blessed, in- deed, was Ted Tuke among so many women! Inevitably, the rebels Easter Rising 1916 Celebrations in 1936. Irish Citizen Army Pipe Band. Edward Tuke, 1922 . BY DÓNAL DENHAM

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