100 Years Ago...

[the harp unstrung]

I enjoy reading Thomas Jefferson's 'Declaration Of Independence'... I read it once every year or so.
I love the "An Open Letter To The Fool Who Is Making Our Lives Miserable" aspect to it!
I grew up the son of Irish Catholic parents...There wasn't a lot of discussion about it.
We Believed in The Republic Of Ireland. We'd lost members of our family to The Struggle.
This Declaration forces you to consider arms, right away.
...and the poets and the pig iron workers, and the Teachers and the tailors who were praying to their God for most of that week ended up executed or exiled...and the ancestors of The Republic Of Ireland.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I've been to Kilmainham Gaol, the prison where most of the leaders of the Easter Rising were executed. It's a museum now. You can go inside Michael Collins' cell.

One thing a lot of people don't know is that, when the IRA took over the General Post Office on Easter, they barricaded the doors with the census books. When the British burned them out, the majority of the Irish census records for hundred of years were lost. That's why tracing your Irish roots can be hard.

 

[Rocker949]

I've been to Ireland twice and found it to be very interesting. It far exceeded my expectations.

 

[MartinG1957]

I live there!

Dublin ("The City that took on an Empire") was an amazing place over the Easter weekend - although we were taking advantage of the fact that it was the Easter holiday weekend and the uprising happened at Easter, however, as it is a moveable feast, the actual centenary day is 24th April.
Dublin in particular and the country in general was celebrating all weekend with parades, fly-pasts, recreations of events, concerts, readings - you name it, the city was buzzing!

I took part in a concert/event yesterday, Easter Monday which was a gathering of the descendants and relatives of those who were known to be in the GPO at the time of the rising - very honoured to have been invited to play with the CWU Band for this occasion - this band grew out of the Post Office Band which was a band formed by the workers in the Post Office and which actually had its rehearsal rooms in the GPO at the time of the rising - all the band's instruments were destroyed in the battle for the GPO. The telegram boys subsequently went around all the local businesses to whom they delivered and asked for donations to help get the band up and running again - I was also told that a donation was successfully obtained from the British Government on the grounds that they had destroyed the instruments in the first place!

Very moving event and a privilege to be asked to take part. I will also be playing at another concert on the actual day of the anniversary, 22nd April and another a couple of days later...we know how to party in Dublin!

Kilmainham Gaol as mentioned above by Duuuuuuuuuuude is indeed an incredible place - one of many around the country associated with the rebellion - if you are in Ireland then a visit to Kilmainham is an absolute must - and also now go to the new 1916 exhibition centre just opened in the GPO itself - very well worth the visit.

 

[MartinG1957]

A rare shot of historical significance, for those who are interested - this was the first flag of the Irish republic raised over the GPO in 1916....

The flag itself was a plain green background with the words "Irish Republic" embroidered on it -it was later replaced by the famous Green, White and Orange (not Gold ) tricolour which was designed to be symbolic of peace between the different traditions on the island of Ireland.

 

[the harp unstrung]

Thank you, Martin...Thank you, for bringing this thread to life... These are important pictures taken from inside Kilmainham Goal. I think we were there last in 2012...maybe 2011. It was a silent and profound time.
Many American boys fall asleep each night to dream of striking out the side in the bottom of the 9th. These guys were the heroes of my youth.

...a legacy well worth observing, and then celebrating!

I don't mean to get all maudlin on yas...I was steeped in the Easter Uprising...and the 600 years leading up to it...as a lad. Now, half a century later, it seems far larger and more Earth-shaping than it was to me back then.
Thank yous for your time and consideration...

 

[slobake]

Thanks for this 47th St.

 

[MartinG1957]

Thank you, Martin...Thank you, for bringing this thread to life...View attachment 833127 View attachment 833129 View attachment 833130 These are important pictures taken from inside Kilmainham Goal. I think we were there last in 2012...maybe 2011. It was a silent and profound time.
Many American boys fall asleep each night to dream of striking out the side in the bottom of the 9th. These guys were the heroes of my youth.
View attachment 833153
...a legacy well worth observing, and then celebrating!

I don't mean to get all maudlin on yas...I was steeped in the Easter Uprising...and the 600 years leading up to it...as a lad. Now, half a century later, it seems far larger and more Earth-shaping than it was to me back then.
Thank yous for your time and consideration...

It really was the birth of a nation - Ireland had been occupied and invaded by Britain for hundreds of years - there had been several attempts at rebellion previously and was then seen as part of the British Empire - the 1916 uprising was not popularly supported in the beginning, it was the executions of the leaders which turned public support and led to the later success - and unfortunately, as with many such things, the horror of a civil war. In 1916, 54% of the casualties in the conflict were civilian.
It was all very Irish - we even had a story of looting taking place during the fighting - very Irish looting - mothers were marching their kids down to the shops, outfitting them in new clothes and dumping the old ones in the shop

 

[MartinG1957]

Again, if it is of interest for anyone - a recreation of the reading of the proclamation, as posted above by 47th Street, on Easter Sunday outside the GPO, O'Connell Street, Dublin, 2016.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I lived in Ireland for 6 years. Birth of a nation is correct, but in the time I was there in the early 00s I saw a lot of growing pains. Xenophobia/racism since it was the first time they really faced immigration, Irish pride turning to nationalism, credit problems as the "Celtic Tiger" economy grew, mass consumerism, the Church molestation tribunals... Heck, I even watched them turn from a tea culture to a coffee culture before Starbucks came to Ireland. Historic times.

 

[TOOL460002]

Nothing against your heritage, but "May" rolls off the tongue a little easier than "Bealtaine." All kidding aside, how prevalent is Celtic these days? Is it thriving, dying, for academics, country folk, etc. Just curious how common dual language signage is over there. I can tell you for sure that this portion of history isn't part of any curriculum I've been privy to. Will have to hit the library perhaps.

 

[the harp unstrung]

I lived in Ireland for 6 years. Birth of a nation is correct, but in the time I was there in the early 00s I saw a lot of growing pains. Xenophobia/racism since it was the first time they really faced immigration, Irish pride turning to nationalism, credit problems as the "Celtic Tiger" economy grew, mass consumerism, the Church molestation tribunals... Heck, I even watched them turn from a tea culture to a coffee culture before Starbucks came to Ireland. Historic times.

I know, first hand, that you're absolutely correct re: racism/xenophobia/dangerous ultra-nationalism...I've heard it come out of the mouths of a couple...literally 2...of my (upwards of 80...we're a very Irish Catholic tribe) cousins! Interestingly (surprisingly?), the older generation, my aunts and uncles, viewed immigration TO Ireland through the eyes of those who had lived through their brothers (among them, my father) and sisters emigrate FROM Ireland. They seemed very willing to welcome the mostly Eastern Europeans who were arriving during the first half of the oughts...
It's always been the bravest and hardest working members of any clan who have looked at their lives and their futures and concluded that 'there is something better out there'.
That's always been my understanding of immigration/emigration.

"a coffee culture"???
Surely you jest...

 

[two fingers]

Very cool. I love patriotism. I wish everyone could love their country and appreciate its history as much as I do mine and you do yours.

 

[the harp unstrung]

Nothing against your heritage, but "May" rolls off the tongue a little easier than "Bealtaine." All kidding aside, how prevalent is Celtic these days? Is it thriving, dying, for academics, country folk, etc. Just curious how common dual language signage is over there. I can tell you for sure that this portion of history isn't part of any curriculum I've been privy to. Will have to hit the library perhaps.

As was the undeniable case with Africans, Aboriginal Americans and Australians, as well as EVERY other culture 'civilized' by the imperial british, ( my marrow-deep prejudice is on full display now! Sorry...) outlawing the native language was one of the absolute cornerstones of the effort to Anglicized the conquered. It seemed to work, first, in Eire, so they took it with them wherever they slithered.
My family is from way out in the country...County Louth. Dundalk is still a day's walk away. Only one of my 11 aunts and uncles ever gave a thought to speaking Irish/Gaelic...my uncle Brian always had a bit of the Poet Warrior about him. I always loved going to his house on Thursdays. That was 'Gaelic Day'! He and my auntie Phil would have to drop a coin in their special jar each time they used an English word. It must have taken them years to fill that jar!
No...it's not a 'pretty' language to listen to...very Germanic and gutteral to my ear...but reviving it is a worthy and effective protest and reminder. All of my cousins' kids are at least conversive in Irish, and, while the dual road signs mean nothing to me, I think they're beautiful.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Beautiful indeed. Got time for a poem? Billy Yeats has something to say,

​

 

[the harp unstrung]

Oh oh! " This video contains content from RTE. It is not available in your country."
Wassamattah with RTE? Ain't they never heard about the intrawebs?
Wanna bet I can track it down through YouTube?
LOL!
I'm on the case!

 

[TOOL460002]

Oops I called Gaelic Celtic. D'oh! The uneducated American in me is strong. That whole empire squashing native languages is very 1984. Terrible thing to do. I like the idea of teaching other, more universal languages, in addition to native tongues, but eradication just serves to silence history. Very unfortunate.

If you have any recommendations for the history of that region, or the occupation etc, I'd love to read them. I'll need a new book in a couple weeks I think.

 

[Robroy]

I live there!

Dublin ("The City that took on an Empire") was an amazing place over the Easter weekend - although we were taking advantage of the fact that it was the Easter holiday weekend and the uprising happened at Easter, however, as it is a moveable feast, the actual centenary day is 24th April.
Dublin in particular and the country in general was celebrating all weekend with parades, fly-pasts, recreations of events, concerts, readings - you name it, the city was buzzing!

I took part in a concert/event yesterday, Easter Monday which was a gathering of the descendants and relatives of those who were known to be in the GPO at the time of the rising - very honoured to have been invited to play with the CWU Band for this occasion - this band grew out of the Post Office Band which was a band formed by the workers in the Post Office and which actually had its rehearsal rooms in the GPO at the time of the rising - all the band's instruments were destroyed in the battle for the GPO. The telegram boys subsequently went around all the local businesses to whom they delivered and asked for donations to help get the band up and running again - I was also told that a donation was successfully obtained from the British Government on the grounds that they had destroyed the instruments in the first place!

Very moving event and a privilege to be asked to take part. I will also be playing at another concert on the actual day of the anniversary, 22nd April and another a couple of days later...we know how to party in Dublin!

Kilmainham Gaol as mentioned above by Duuuuuuuuuuude is indeed an incredible place - one of many around the country associated with the rebellion - if you are in Ireland then a visit to Kilmainham is an absolute must - and also now go to the new 1916 exhibition centre just opened in the GPO itself - very well worth the visit.

It was a Terrible Beauty.

 

[the harp unstrung]

Very cool. I love patriotism. I wish everyone could love their country and appreciate its history as much as I do mine and you do yours.

Forgive me, friend, if I've given you the impression that I am an Irishman. That was never my intention.
I'm sure that I am as patriotic an American as you, but I am a first-generation American. It would be hard to forget that, given the mum and da who raised me!
I'd like to think that being a first-generation American served me well during my 18 years in the elementary school classroom as a Teacher of (mostly...70-80%?) children whose parents have come here from Mexico.
I'm retired now.
Easter Monday has always been a special day around my house. I taught my students about its importance each year. I guess I miss that, and that's probably why I started this thread...

 

[the harp unstrung]

If you have any recommendations for the history of that region, or the occupation etc, I'd love to read them. I'll need a new book in a couple weeks I think.

Though it is a novel...and I'm not a big reader of fiction...Leon Uris's "Trinity" does, imho, a wonderful job of creating context. It's a helluva yarn!