Irish History Synopsis: Six Days to Frongoch

Irish history Synopsis Six Days to Frongoch

On returning from the Fairyhouse Races the British commander General W.H.M Lowe declared Martial Law on
24, April 1916.

A cordon was thrown about the central city by commander General W. H. M Lowe and artillery fire begun day and night. 2000 trops already being in Dublin 6500 were brought in from other parts of Ireland and from England itself.
A position was taken up in the Shelburne hotel over looking St Stephens Green where the entrenched rebel troop under Mallon and Mareivicz were dug in. This required them to evacuate to the Royal College of Surgeons
The post office equally was put under continious heavy fire from posts on the roof of Trinity College.
By Wensday the gunboat Helga was called in and from the Liffy river shelling the entire central city area including Liberty Hall The entire area was set afire..
The rebels where shot while trying to evacuate the on fire post office.
Among those defenders at this General Post Office redoubt was a young Michael Collins who admired the leadership and effective resistance of Connolly.
By Thursday ,Dublin being aflame, an order to evacuate was given by Pearce.
The country in deference to the O Neill announcement reciding the rising plan had not risen .

On Friday on a second attempt, Connoly having been shot on the first attempt, managed to evacuate the untenable and burning post office.

On Saturday April 29 Pearce ordered a surrender.

The rebellion leaders were all taken into custody and courts martials begun immidiately.

Of the rebels 64 were found dead with 300 civilian casulaties
130 British soldiers wer killed.
Hundreds had been wounded and central Dublin had been distroyed.
3000 were immediately arested in Dublin.

At the end of Easter week Brigidier General Sir John Maxwell arrived in Ireland with full comander in chief powers. He considered the rebellion as having been planned and inspired by theGerman enemy.

With typical British military arrogance he ordered executions before firing squad of the most prominent leaders in his custody.
This policy was thought disasterous by MP Dillon who urged Asquith to recind it. Asquith sent a consilatory letter to
General Maxwell asking him to use restraint in creating Irish martyrs.
However the General proceeded with military precison to carry out the executions in a systematic way.

On May 3 soom three days after he took charge of the military forces in Ireland Padriag Pearce, Tom Clarke and Tom McDonagh were shot their bodies limed and put in a pit in the yard of Kilmainham jail in the middle of Dublin.
On May 4 Will iam Pearce the brother of Padraig was shot and disposed of in the same manner
along with the rebels Joseph Plunkett, Edward Daly and Michale O Hanrahan
On May 5 John MacBride, husband of Maude Gonne was shot limed and buried in the jailhouse yard

On May 6 18 exection were commuted ,one being Constance Markievicz
On May 8 Colbert, Ceanet, Mallon and Heuston were shot
Eamon de Valera was commuted this day


On May 12 John Connelly was transported to the jail from the Castle and shot sitting in a chair as he cound not stand from his wound. Sean Mac Dermott was also killed this day.

After these the killing stopped until August 3 when Roger Casement was hung at Pentonville Prison after a trial with an attorney going on in which he was prosecuted by F.E Smith and convicted of treason on June 29 1916 the only conpiritor given a civil trial or for that matter any trial at all. Casement was defended by Serjeant Sullivan who refused to enter a lunacy plea for him as the government wanted.

Of the 100 rebels sheduled to be shot only these 15 were dispached the rest having their sentances comuted to life in prison incuding among them Eamon de Valera and Eion ONeill who has been arested even though he had worked to avert the rebellion and had not participted in it.



Of the 100 detained without charge most were sent off to Frongoch camp in Wales. Some to the criminal prison system all under interment held withoutrial or charges as enemy combatants.

Of those sent to Frongoch Michael Collins was released with Arthur Griffith of Sinn Fein with 600 other in a Chrismas release from the 1867 intered persons. De Valera was held in various prisons.
On Collins release when he retuned to his home in Cork he ws unwelcome and no one would shake his hand.
He left for Dublin and was warmly welcomed by Kathleen Daly Clarke Toms wife who gave him a job as secretary to her Irish Volunteers ` Dependants Fund. Kathleen held the lists of members of the IRB and the republicans which she held from her brother and husband.

Before Roger Casement died he mused as to what Ireland would be like 100 years in the future which would be 2016.
Little could he visualize todays computer literate society, WW 2 ,or the Celtic Tiger ,the Troubles in the north ,electricity and running water , television and automobiles,indoor pluming and bungalos replacing the white thatched roof cottage.
The treasured language still clinging to life, just bearly, economic English worldwide and dominant in America obliterating not only Gaelic but most European languages ,African languages and in the 21 Century Asian.

A quietude fell over the country for the rest of 1916 as they recovered from these military abuses .

Judi Donnelly
copyright Aug 26 2007

sourses: The Green Flag ,Robert Kee, Penquin Books ,1972
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster, 2000