An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 28 | O n 4th January, An Cosantóir visited the award-winning gPo Witness history attrac- tion in the heart of Dublin City. gPo Witness history, a permanent attrac- tion that opened on good Friday 2016, is owned by An Post and operated by Shannon heritage. the visitor centre tells the story of the 1916 Easter Rising and modern Irish history through in- teractive touch screens, audio-visual booths and authentic artefacts. The GPO has a very significant as- sociation with the 1916 Easter Rising as it was used as the headquarters of the rebel forces for the six days of the Rising, and of the seven signato- ries of the Proclamation, only two, Thomas McDonagh and Éamonn Ceannt, were not based in the build- ing during the rebellion. British forces bombarded the GPO during the battle and only the front facade and the pillars remained of the historic building that had been con- structed between 1814-1818. This year marks the two hundredth anniversary of the opening of the original GPO and An Post have launched a commemora- tive stamp to mark the occasion. The rebels had chosen the GPO as it was the post and telegraph hub in Ireland and held the main communi- cation line back to Britain and it was centrally located. Our tour guide, Alex Goodman, was a knowledgeable and pleasant host. She started the tour with a brief talk on British rule in Ireland from the 1700s up to the Home Rule period in the late 1800s. As we moved down- stairs to the start of the displays, we encountered five hand-drawn figures on posters, which Alex explained represented the protagonists of the period leading up to the Easter Ris- ing; the 'Socialist', representing the Irish Citizens Army; the 'Republican', representing the Irish Volunteers; the 'Suffragette', a movement for the right to vote representing the women of the period, including Cumann na mBan; the 'Home Ruler'; and the 'Unionist'. Alex explained that the Easter Ris- ing wasn't initially popular with the citizens of Dublin as the city was being bombarded to rubble; 3,500 Dubliners had been arrested; and there had been a large number of civilian casual- ties, including 40 children. It was the rapid execution of the leaders of the Rising and the severity of British military rule that swayed the popu- lace in their favour. Around the main wall of the ex- hibit, there are information booths containing witness accounts of the Rising, with connected artefacts and documentation. Pointing out a portrait of Seán Mac Diarmada, Alex told us that he became a close friend and most trusted lieuten- ant of Thomas Clarke and was one of the most wanted men by the authori- ties because he was the main recruiter of young radical nationalists for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Another notable item on display is the story behind the forged 'Castle Document' used to trick Eoin MacNeill into supporting the Rising. However, after the loss of the gun-running Aud and the arrest of Roger Casement, MacNeill had withdrawn his support for an uprising and countermanded a mobilisation order for the Irish Vol- unteers, with the result that instead By Sgt WAynE FItzgERAlD PhotoS By CPl lEE CoylE & gPo WItnESS hIStoRy CEntRE "IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom." Part of the 1916 Proclamation, which was read by Patrick Pearse at the GPO on Easter Monday 1916. AWARD WInnIng gPo WItnESS hIStoRy vISItoR CEntRE

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