1916 Easter Rising Walking Tour

Connor and I got really lucky with our timing visiting Dublin because, not only was it close to Saint Patrick's Day, but also because it's the one hundred year anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising rebellion that led to Irish Independence. We did a walking tour through the city to visit some of the important sites of the rebellion. It was awesome! I learned so much, but what was especially nice was that there were only 4 other people on the tour so it was on a much more personal level and we got to know the guide and the other people better.

The walking tour started at City Hall. During the Easter Rising rebellion, there was a small number of Irish troops on the top floor of City Hall, but the English were given false information and tricked into thinking there were a lot more. They tried sneaking up on the Irish and ended up surprising each other and the English soldiers ended up firing on each other.

the outside didn't look too impressive, but inside it was beautiful! Along the top, the different panels depict important events in Irish history, such as the Celtic and Viking arrivals. It also showed Lambert Simnel, who was a 10 year old boy that resembled the heir to the English throne, named the new king by supporters who didn't want Henry VII to be king. He got caught, but Henry forgave him and gave him a job working in his kitchens!

The city saying in English translates to "obedient citizens, happy city". The figure on the left is "law" holding a sword and an olive branch and then the figure on the right is "justice" holding the scales of justice. The shamrocks are supposed to represent the holy trinity.

A battle broke out right in the center of city hall and you can see one of the bullet holes next to the knee in this statue.

The next place on the tour was Dublin Castle, which was originally built as a defensive fortification, but later evolved into a royal residence.

This gate was the location of the first casualty of the rebellion.  

This is the statue of justice, but there are a few problems with her. For one, she's facing the wrong way; she has her back to the city. She also isn't blindfolded, like she should be. One of her scales is also under her arm and other isn't so when it rains, one of them fills with water while the other remains dry. It doesn't really send a good message if Justice's scales are tipped unevenly!

Through the blue door is where the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in 1921 ending the War of Independence

Records Tower next to the chapel 

The Bank of Ireland used to be where Parliament was located

Statue of Daniel O'Connell, who was a political leader in the early 1800s. His statue is filled with bullet holes from the battle

The old House of Commons, which as its windows boarded up to prevent break ins

The General Post Office, which the Irish used as headquarters for the rebellion

A plaque used as a memorial for The O'Rahilly, an Irish nationalist killed retreating back to the GPO. As he lay dying in a doorway, he wrote a letter to his wife and it's printed here to commemorate his sacrifice.

There is a lot of controversy because different groups want to use the site of the rebellion for different purposes. They started construction to turn it into a shopping center, but people got really upset and they were forced to put construction on hold. Now there are some people who want to turn it into a museum and others who want to leave it just as it was. Here are some signs protesting.

The last stop on our tour was the Garden of Remembrance which is dedicated to the memory of "all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom". 

In Celtic tradition, when the war is over, they symbolically break their weapons and throw them into the water so this is illustrated here.

This statue is at the end of the garden. It depicts the Children of Lir, who were children that were turned into swans and spent 900 years in different bodies of water.

This tour was fun fact city! We loved it, especially because we got to see the city in a completely different light!