The Easter Rising of 1916 in the parish.

Discussion for Donabate/Portrane Local History
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glasagusdubh
Posts: 22
Joined: 17 Jan 2013, 17:21

Some #localhistory that will be of interest to many:
On the Wednesday of Easter week 1916 as the Irish Volunteers were engaged in viscous fighting with the British Army in various outposts of Dublin City such as the GPO and Boland’s Mill, the Fingal Brigade of the Irish Volunteers engaged in some armed activity a little closer to home. The local armed republicans had been active in Fingal since Easter Monday when they originally assembled at Knocksedan Bridge at the back of River Vally. By the Wednesday the Republicans led by Kerryman Thomas Ashe (later the first republican hunger striker to die in 1917) had planned to capture the RIC police barracks in both Swords and Donabate. In Swords the surrender of the police was quick and uneventful. Things would be different in Donabate however and the attack on the original RIC barracks (located behind what is now Keeling’s pub) would be the first instance of the Fingal unit receiving enemy fire. The following is an account from Irish Volunteer Charlie Weston.

‘We were ordered to take a pickaxe, sledge and crowbar and burst in the door. Six of us rushed up to the door and shouted at the police to surrender or we would break in the door. The answer was a revolver shot fired out of the top window. Immediately the window was riddled with bullets from our men. We proceeded to break in the door. After a few seconds the door frame gave way and the door went in. There was an inner iron door with a chain on it. When the door went in they immediately shouted they would surrender. They could not get the iron door open, but one of them threw a rifle through the top window as a token of surrender.’

The RIC Constable Thorpe had been shot in the hand when they surrendered. After the brief shootout and prompt surrender the volunteers procured all the available arms in the police station. While in the RIC station Thomas Ashe viewed the intelligence files which had notes taken with information on local volunteer’s names, drills and details on parading. After this encounter the volunteers returned once again to their billets at Kileek (near Saint Margaret’s) for camp. It was another successful day for the Fingal Volunteers in Easter Week of 1916 and a lot more to come! A little bit of 1916 history in parish, FingalAbú!

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Al the Pal
Posts: 20
Joined: 24 Sep 2012, 09:52

glasagusdubh wrote:Some #localhistory that will be of interest to many:
On the Wednesday of Easter week 1916 as the Irish Volunteers were engaged in viscous fighting with the British Army in various outposts of Dublin City such as the GPO and Boland’s Mill, the Fingal Brigade of the Irish Volunteers engaged in some armed activity a little closer to home. The local armed republicans had been active in Fingal since Easter Monday when they originally assembled at Knocksedan Bridge at the back of River Vally. By the Wednesday the Republicans led by Kerryman Thomas Ashe (later the first republican hunger striker to die in 1917) had planned to capture the RIC police barracks in both Swords and Donabate. In Swords the surrender of the police was quick and uneventful. Things would be different in Donabate however and the attack on the original RIC barracks (located behind what is now Keeling’s pub) would be the first instance of the Fingal unit receiving enemy fire. The following is an account from Irish Volunteer Charlie Weston.

‘We were ordered to take a pickaxe, sledge and crowbar and burst in the door. Six of us rushed up to the door and shouted at the police to surrender or we would break in the door. The answer was a revolver shot fired out of the top window. Immediately the window was riddled with bullets from our men. We proceeded to break in the door. After a few seconds the door frame gave way and the door went in. There was an inner iron door with a chain on it. When the door went in they immediately shouted they would surrender. They could not get the iron door open, but one of them threw a rifle through the top window as a token of surrender.’

The RIC Constable Thorpe had been shot in the hand when they surrendered. After the brief shootout and prompt surrender the volunteers procured all the available arms in the police station. While in the RIC station Thomas Ashe viewed the intelligence files which had notes taken with information on local volunteer’s names, drills and details on parading. After this encounter the volunteers returned once again to their billets at Kileek (near Saint Margaret’s) for camp. It was another successful day for the Fingal Volunteers in Easter Week of 1916 and a lot more to come! A little bit of 1916 history in parish, FingalAbú!

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Thanks for that - very interesting. I did not know Donabate was involved in the Easter Rising ...or even ever had a police station!
glasagusdubh
Posts: 22
Joined: 17 Jan 2013, 17:21

two RIC stations actually the original being the one that was attacked and the second being up in Turvey, local men played a significant part in the fingal brigade who were nationally the most successful republican unit in the 1916 rising culminating in the battle of ashbourne where they came out victorious.
gremlin
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Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 10:07

Are there any pictures of the Donabate RIC Station available?
Ann O
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This is the one on Turvey :-

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This link says that the Turvey building was the original site, before a purpose built place in Ballisk (rear of Keelings) was constructed.

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Planning/Plann ... 096,en.pdf
glasagusdubh
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Joined: 17 Jan 2013, 17:21

Im not sure which was the original site but I have read documents that explain how during the tan war in 1920 the local IRA burned the RIC barracks in the parish that had been abandoned by the RIC to the intensification of the war at that time. As the Turvey building still stands I assume the barracks destroyed was the one towards Ballisk/ towards Keelings.
jayflame
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Love the history on this.

I found out recently, my great grandfather was supposedly in Bowlands Mill on Grand Canal.
He escaped to Liverpool before being arrested.
My great grandmother was supposedly a good friend of De Velera and was meant to meet up with the shipment of guns that were captured.
She was reported to have been an active member of the Cumann na mBan.

I have yet to find all the facts on this, but was amazed since I used to work at Grand Canal and always looked at that old mill.

If I find out more, I will update you.
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Sydney
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Thanks for this GlasagusDubh. Great to know.
glasagusdubh
Posts: 22
Joined: 17 Jan 2013, 17:21

thought I would give this a bump the week that's in it
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