Today,
the third of May 2016, marks one hundred years to the day of the first
executions of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The executions were carried out at the
Stonebreaker's Yard of Kilmainham Jail. On May 2nd 1916, the first courts
martial sentenced Padraig Pearse, Thomas Clarke and Thomas MacDonagh to death.
Pearse, a founding leader of the Volunteers, Commander-and-Chief of the rebel
forces and stationed at the G.P.O. on O'Connell Street at the height of the
conflict, along with fellow signatories of the Proclamation,
Thomas Clarke and Thomas McDonagh, were executed by firing squad. Between the
third of May and the twelfth of May 1916, fifteen leaders of the Rising would
be executed. Among the fifteen were others such as Willie Pearse, brother of Padraig.
Though not considered a senior leader or instigator of the Rising, Willie
Pearse was also executed by firing squad, largely because he was Padraig's
brother, on the fourth of May.
As
part of A University in War and Revolution: 1913-191 The
Galway Experience currently on at the Hardiman Research Building, NUI
Galway, a central item on exhibit is the University Visitor Book for Queen's
College Galway (NUIG's former title). The visitor book records the signatures
of both Pearse brothers, which they sign in Irish, Padraig agus William
MacPiarais.
Q.C.G. Visitor book with signatures of Padriag and William Pearse
The visit by both Pearse brothers to the University campus in
Galway in August 1899 is a truly unique moment in the University’s history. The
presence of both signatures, when Padraig and William were nineteen and twenty
years of age respectively, offers an illuminating insight into the exhibition,
which tells the story of the University's impact and influence in
major events of the time, such as the role of college students and
academic staff in both the Rising and the War effort in Europe at the time;
women in revolution; the place of the Irish language and also the post-1916
political landscape of the West of Ireland as seen at the 1918 election.
An item of interest to historians of numerous aspects of revolutionary Ireland will be this volume from within the collections of the Hardiman Library - the Fianna Handbook, issued by the Central Council of na Fianna Éireann, the forerunner to the Boy Scouts of Ireland and published in Dublin by E. Ponsonby, Limited, 116 Graftom Street.
The foundation of this boy-scout movement can be traced back to prior the foundation of the Irish Volunteers, to 1913. Bulmer Hobson, having managed a successful version of the group in Belfast was keen, along with Helena Moloney and Seán McGarry, Countess Markievicz and others to recreate a new Fianna Éireann movement in Dublin in 1909.
Though not clearly or directly indicated in the volume, the Handbook is thought to have been issued in 1913, which would again coincide with increased engagement and involvement with youth organisations and the formation of the Volunteers in that year and in the run-up to events such as the Easter Rising in 1916. Though it is interesting to spot that on the inside front title page, the image on the left includes an artist’s signature of ‘C de M, 1914’, perhaps indicating this could be a later printing or edition.
Title pages of na Fianna Handbook
The volume is striking for many reasons but when one considers the list of contributors, there are very few publications of any kind that feature contributions from so many major protagonists and social and cultural figures of this time. The volume features an introduction from Countess Markievicz, President of na Fianna and who describes:
“the army of young people who are daily taking the Declaration of Na Fianna Eireann and banding themselves together in a glorious brotherhood of youth and hope to win Independence and Freedom for their country.”
Introduction by President of na Fianna, Countess Markievicz Following this is a chapter entitled ‘Filleadh na Feinne” by An Craoibhinn Aoibhinn (Douglas Hyde); a statement on the mission and objectives of na Fianna, which reference its commitment to the re-establishment of the Independence of Ireland and the declaration of Na Fianna which every boy had to give but only after three weeks of training and that declaration reads:
“I promise to work for the independence of Ireland, never to join England’s armed forced and to obey my superior officers.”
As well as chapters laden with diagrams for support of information on topics such as drilling, rifle exercises, camp life, knot-tying, signalling, first aid and swimming, there is also an essay on ‘Chivalry’ written by Roger Casement, who though writing for an audience of young boys was no less forthright and philosophical in his ideas on this topic:
“Chivalry dies when Imperialism begins. The one must kill the other. A chivalrous people must respect in others what they strive to maintain in themselves. Hence it comes when the age of empire begins the age of chivalry dies.”
Padraig Pearse, signing himself here as P.H. Pearse, B.A., Barrister-at-Law, invokes the folklore and history of the past Fianna, linking the recruits of ‘current historic companions’ to the first Fianna of over two thousand years ago. Pearse adds that “the story of those old Fianna of Fionn should be part of the daily thought of every Irish boy, and especially of every boy in the new Fianna.” Pearse relays in detail the story of the Fianna of Fionn and ends by reproducing Dr. [George] Sigerson’s translation of text from the book of Lismore which includes Acallam na Senórach, translated to English as The Colloquy of the Ancients, Tales of the Elders, etc. a Middle Irish narrative dating to the last quarter of the 12th century and an important text of the Fenian. It contains many Fenian narratives framed by a story in which featured the Fianna warriors Oisín and Caílte mac Rónáin. Following this poem, Pearseissues this rallying cry to the boys of na Fianna:
‘Centuries afterwards an Irish poet said mournfully: “All the Fianna have passed away/There remains to them no heir.” – But what say the boys of na Fianna Eireann?”.
This volume is an incredible record of its time, when the leaders of this period and being contributors to this handbook were clearly focusing a lot of attention on the youth of the country.
SYMPOSIUM: PATRICK PEARSE AND THEATRE / PÁDRAIG MAC PIARAIS
AGUS AN AMHARCLANN
A landmark symposium on Patrick Pearse's theatric work hopes to encourage new productions of the neglected plays of the Irish revolutionary.
Experts on Patrick Pearse will travel from across Europe at the end of the month to attend ‘Pearse and the Theatre’, a bilingual symposium on the plays of the Irish rebel and writer, which takes place in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra on the 29th and 30th of November. The organizers of the two-day symposium on the Irish rebel’s dramatic work hope that this special event will encourage a new generation of Irish theatre makers to stage Pearse’s plays, which caused both controversy and excitement when first produced. As well as featuring lively discussion on all aspects of Pearse’s work in the theatre, the programme for ‘Pearse and the Theatre’ also includes a workshop for actors and directors guided by Colm Hefferon and a musical performance led by harpist Síle Denvir that will help to bring the 1916 leader's plays to life.
As the 100-year commemoration of the Easter Rising approaches, this special event will shed new light on an important area of Pearse’s work that has been largely neglected. In the years before he became an icon of rebellion, Patrick Pearse was obsessed with the theatre. As the author and producer of hugely popular plays in both Irish and English he was the imaginative force behind pageants that were staged on remarkable scale. Contemporary performances of Pearse’s works attracted large and enthusiastic audiences to various locations around Dublin - including St. Enda's School, the Abbey Theatre, the Mansion House Jones Road (now Croke Park) - while many leading figures from the worlds of culture and politics were involved in the preparation, promotion, and staging of his of art and literature helped stage the ambitious scripts. The plays themselves were often allegories for Pearse's political vision and he drew on the theatrical expertise of his brother Willie and their circle of friends to devise innovative productions that included spectacular open-air performances.
One of the lesser known plays under discussion, The Singer, which dealt with the morality of rebellion, was in rehearsal in the weeks before the Rising but the production was abandoned as history took centre stage. Speaking ahead of the symposium, Róisín Ní Ghairbhí, one of the co-organisers of 'Pearse and the Theatre', said: “We are looking forward to an exciting programme which will feature scholars, writers, directors and actors. Speakers from as far away as England, France and the Czech Republic will be travelling to participate and we are also inviting people directly involved in the theatre in the hope that these plays, some of which have been half forgotten for years, will be restaged for a new audience. There is something here for anyone with an interest in Pearse, the theatre, or this crucial period in Irish history.” The keynote speakers at ‘Pearse and the Theatre’ are Brian Crowley, The Pearse Museum/OPW, author of the recently published Patrick Pearse: A Life In Pictures; Dr Elaine Sisson, Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and author of Pearse's Patriots, St Enda's and the Cult of Boyhood; and Dr James Moran, University of Nottingham, author of Four Irish Rebel Plays. The workshop and musical performance were specifically included in the programme to ensure that the texts discussed in the lectures are brought to life for participants and audience. The organisers hope that the gathering of scholars and practitioners will provide a fresh take on Pearse’s work in theatre. Actor director Colm Hefferon, who is facilitating the workshop, wants to ‘get away from ideology’. ‘I am interested in exploring the human aspect of the plays’ he says. ‘Pearse and the Theatre’ will explore a sometimes-overlooked dimension to Pearse’s life. The organizers of this unique symposium, Róisín Ní Ghairbhí and Eugene McNulty, earlier this year published Patrick Pearse; Collected Plays/Drámaí an Phiarsaigh, a new bilingual edition of Pearse's plays with Irish Academic Press. The symposium is being supported by Foras na Gaeilge.- For further information about ‘Pearse and the Theatre’ or to contact keynote speakers please contact 0833733151 or 0876461661 pearsetheatre@spd.dcu.ie / Roisin.nighairbhi@spd.dcu.ieEugene.mcnulty@spd.dcu.ie
Click here to see the full programme for the event.
How the Abbey actor who later played Padraig Pearse in Hollywood himself took part in the Rebels' last stand in the 1916 Rising
Arthur Shields c.1920
With the centenary of the 1916 rising only three years away
the building on Dublin’s Moore street where the leaders of the Rising decided
to end the rebellion has been in the news recently amid plans to turn the
building into a museum. Amongst those
present on Hanlon’s fish shop on Moore street on the final day of the rising
was Abbey Theatre actor Arthur Shields.Shields’ daughter Christine donated his personal papers to the NUI
Galway archives service in 2003.
Arthur Shields and his brother Barry Fitzgerald (real name Will
Shields) both appeared in the first production of Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars.Shields also played Padraig Pearse in John Ford’s 1936
film adaptation of the drama.
The ruins of the Metropole Hotel and G.P.O. - from a booklet containing photographs of 'Twelve Interesting Views Showing the
Ruins of Sackville Street and Adjoining Streets After The Rising'. (Shields Family Papers, NUI Galway).
During the rising Arthur Shields was stationed in the
Metropole Hotel on O’Connell Street (now the location of Penny’s). The volunteer
garrison abandoned their position in the hotel on Friday 28th April,
first making there way into the GPO which was already on fire, then retreating
to Moore Street with the GPO garrison including Padraig Pearse and the other
leaders of the rising.While Shields himself
didn’t leave a detailed account of his role in the rising his brother in law Charles
Saurin who fought along side him made a detailed witness statement for the bureau of military history in
1949.The Shields Family papers includes
a copy of this statement, while the original was recently digitised and made
available on line ( see:http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0288.pdf).
According to Saurin he and Shields along with the rest of
the volunteers made their way from house to house along Moore street trough holes
knocked in the dividing walls between the houses' basements.Saurin recalled that “there was
the question, as the last bricks and plaster of the hole went crashing out
under the blows of sledge-hammers and crowbars, as to whether we might not find
the enemy on the other side to hurtle grenades into our midst."
Arthur Shields, Lennox Robinson and Sean O'Casey c. 1935 (Shields Family Papers,NUI Galway)
Eventually Shields and Saurin found themselves in the loft
at the back of Hanlon’s fish shop (16 Moore Street) with five other men. Word reached them that they were to be given what
“used to be know as the place of honor in the coming battle” i.e. they were to
be first in the firing line.Saurin
describes the plan:
It seems that an attempt was to
be made to fight our way out of the Moore Street area and to get to the
Williams & Woods' Jam Factory in Great Britain Street from where we were to
try and link up with our own forces in the Four Courts.Apparently the seven of us in the loft at the
back of Hanlon's were on a given word to jump out through the open doorway down
on to the lane below, fire a volley and charge the barricade.This was supposed to be a diversion while the
main body in full force broke out into Moore Street and stormed a big barricade
at the top of the street, and no doubt carried all before it on the direction
of Williams & Woods while seven corpses lay in Moore Lane.
In the event the
break-out plan was abandoned and the decision was taken instead to surrender in order to avoid further bloodshed.When the time came to surrender the men were
advised to dispose of anything that might be regarded as loot:
Loot: Lorna Doone
I could not say that anyone carried, loot. Arthur Shields' commandeered
binoculars were of course, for military use. I had used binoculars in the Hotel
Metropole which were left behind by some guest there and I in turn had left
them on the evacuation.There had been
very fine gold and silver watches left on dressing tables in various rooms in
that hotel, as, to my mind, a watch was No. 1 in the list of traditional loot,
I had not touched them trough it would have been handy to have known the time
during the week.I was completely at a
loss in that respect, for while I had made use of a small clock (to my mind
quite distinct from a watch and therefore definitely not to be classed as loot)
it had stopped the first time an enemy shell had hit the hotel roof.... towards
4 or 5 o'clock when we were all called together and told to form up inside the
buildings, that we were going out. This is all the information we at the back
of Hanlons' received. However, as I went through the shop I suddenly recalled
that I had indeed some loot and I carefully hid within the pay desk a copy of Blackmore's
"Lorna Doone" which I had discovered in a room in the Metropole. I was
reluctant to part with it, though where and when I imagined I was going to read
it in the near future I did not know, but Arthur Shields said: "Leave it
there, I’ll buy you a copy afterwards". During the years that followed I
have occasionally reminded him that he has never since bought me "Lorna
Doone".
Clips from John Ford's 1936 adaption of The Plough and the Stars
After surrendering to the British forces Shields and Saurin
a long with other volunteers were marched to Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, on
the way they at the corner of Francis Street they passed “shrieking women from the back streets who called
us filthy names and hurled curses at us. ” Later on Thomas Street they saw “sympathy on the faces of people
looking out of the dwellings over the shops. British officers marching on our
flanks kept shouting to them: "Close those windows". While at Guinness’s
“shirt-sleeved officials were leaning
out of the windows looking at us with superior, contemptuous smiles.”
In the barracks “notables” amongst the volunteers were separated
out from the rest ; Shields apparently attracted attention because he wore
glasses:
Arthur Shields who wore glasses
and who, consequently, in the eyes of the 'G' men, may have looked an
intellectual and, therefore, important, was asked his name by the individual
who had picked out Willie Pearse, and also where he worked. The Abbey Theatre
should have been suspect as one of the birthplaces of twentieth century Irish
nationalism, but this did not seem to dawn on the 'G' man and Shields was left beside
me, after a final question as to whether be knew Philip Guiry, another Abbey
Player.
Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way
While Willie Pearse was among those sentenced to death and
executed for their part in the rising Shields and Saurin were transported to Britain
and interned in Frongoch camp, Wales. Saurin later server as an officer in the Free State Army. While Shields went on to play lead roles in many Abbey productions during, also acting as the Abbey tour manager for a number of tours of North America. Eventually he and his brother Barry Fitzgerald settled in California where both acted in Hollywod films. Barry Fitzgerald one an Oscar in 1945 for his role alongside Bing Crosby in Going My Way.
An online exhibition of Material from the Shields family papers is available here: http://archives.library.nuigalway.ie/shields
Plans for 1916 Rebellion Museum - Moore Street Dublin - Narrated by John Connolly
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