An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 15 by SGT WAYNE FITZGERALD PhotoS by CPL LEE COYLE W ith the 1916 centenary celebrations fast approaching, three friends and business- men, Shay bowes, Martin Durcan and bren- dan homan (one a serving member of the RDF, one a former member of the RDF and the last a retired PDF member) felt that the opportunity for people to visit the important sites connected with the Easter Rising in a structured way was lacking and they decided to do something about it. As a result, from an initial idea from Shay, the 1916 Freedom Tour was born, despite facing massive amounts of paperwork and red tape, which thankfully the three entrepreneurs were able to overcome to get the project over the line. Customers will be taken on a tour bus that has been modified to look like a vintage Crossley Tender military truck. The bus, which is kitted out with remarkable memorabilia and photographs from the period, will take its passengers on a one-hour journey down Dublin's 1916 memory lane, taking in the key sites of the Rising, starting with St Stephen's Green and moving on to Dublin Castle, City Hall, Trinity College, the GPO, Parnell Square, the Custom House, Boland's Mill, Mount Street, Beggars Bush Bks, and many more. An Cosantóir was invited to take part in a trial run of the Free- dom Tour on Tuesday 24th March, which was also filmed by RTÉ and was aired on Nationwide. The tour started with a warm greeting from the driver (dressed as an Irish Volunteer) and our guide, Ken (dressed as a Royal Dub- lin Fusilier), who also gave us a health-and-safety brief. Our group comprised of a selection of the organisers' families and friends, representatives of veterans associations, Anne Cassin and her RTÉ film crew, and ourselves. As we set off Ken told us that the tour would be non-political and would cover both sides of the conflict, and that it was aimed at whetting the appetite and encouraging people to learn more about our heritage. As well as the main information about each of the sites we visited, Ken also regaled us with some inter- esting anecdotes, such as the story of the Crown Forces' Australian sniper located in Trinity College, who from a distance of 400m, using his Lee Enfield .303 rifle, managed to hit a tin can that rebels were using to pass messages across Sackville Street (O'Connell St). Another was how the Proclamation was printed across from the GPO in the base- ment of what is now the Kylemore Cafe. To which Ken added: "The Proclamation is quite possibly the first printed document to put men and women on and even footing in that it begins 'Irishmen and Irishwomen: In the name of God...'" The organisers of the 1916 Freedom Tour have chosen ONE and IUNVA as their designated chari- ties and both will receive a generous donation each year. Shay, Martin and Brendan have already started looking at expanding the tour, with two more buses coming soon. They may also branch out to cover other sites around the country as well. We wish them success with their new venture, which is well and truly worth the price of admission. Speaking of which, ticket prices are: adult €20, child €12, teenager €15, student/OAP €16, family €60. There are also special ticket concessions for mili- tary personnel at €15. The tour departs from the Defence Forces Memorial, Merrion Square West, every two hours, with the first tour starting 9am and the last at 5pm. Online booking should also be available now. Check out www.1916tour.ie or email bookings@1916tour.ie.

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