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DECLARATION

CEANNT

CLARKE

COLBERT

CONNOLLY

DALY

HEUSTON

MACBRIDE

MACDERMOTT

MACDONAGH

MALIN

PEARSE, P

PEARSE, W

PLUNKETT

O'HANRAHAN

CASUALTIES

CASEMENT

Introduction

This section deals with the trial by courts-martial of those people involved in the Easter 1916 Uprising in Dublin.

The details for each person can be read by clicking the relevant name in the left-hand column.

Dublin Today

Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street) was completely destroyed by the shelling and fire. Visiting the area today, it is quite hard to imagine the scale of destruction that occurred in such a relatively small area.

The General Post Office, O'Connell Street (Stephen Stratford 1998).

The G.P.O entrance where the proclamation was read (Stephen Stratford 1998).

Those people who signed the Irish Republic Proclamation, which was read on the steps of the General Post Office in Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street), were captured together with other participants. They were tried by courts-martial for offences covered by The Defence of The Realms Acts, and some were sentenced to death. The trials were conducted at Richmond Barracks, except for James Connolly who (due to his injuries) was tried in Dublin Castle and Thomas Kent whose court-martial took place in Cork Dentention Barracks.

Main entrance to Dublin Castle (Stephen Stratford 1998).

14 of the death sentences were confirmed, and they were then shot in the former stone-breakers' yard at Kilmainham Jail, Dublin.

The spot in Kilmainham Jail where the signatories of the Proclamation were shot.

James Connolly was shot later at a similar spot behind the photographer (Stephen Stratford 1998).

The follow table list the people were courts-martialed and subsequently shot in Kilmainham Jail. In addition to the signatories of the Proclamation, seven other people were courts-martialed and executed for the parts that they played in the Easter Uprising. William Pearse was Patrick Pearse's brother.

The additional prisoners who were sentenced to death, such as De Valera, had their sentences commuted to various terms of imprisonment.

The memorial located in Arbour Hill Cemetery (Stephen Stratford 1998).

The wall in the above photograph bear the text of the declaration in both Gaelic and English.

They are all buried in the memorial located in Arbour Hill Cemetery, opposite Michael Collins (formerly The Royal) Barracks, in Dublin. They are buried side by side, with their names in English and Gaelic (both official languages of the Irish Republic) on either side of their remains.

Graves of Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh, P.H. Pearse and Edward Daly (Stephen Stratford 1998).

Graves of Michael O'Hanrahan, William Pearse, Joseph Plunkett and John Macbride (Stephen Stratford 1998).

Graves of Con Colbert, Eamonn Ceannt, Sean Heuston, Michael Mallin, James Connolly and Sean Macdermott (Stephen Stratford 1998).

Both Kilmainham Jail and Arbour Hill Cemetery are open to the public.

Outside Kilmainham Jail (Stephen Stratford 1998).

Thomas Kent

Thomas Kent (Tomas Ceannt) was born in 1865. He was shot by firing squad at Cork Detension Barracks on 9 May 1916. He had previously been tried by courts martial for his part in the murder of a Royal Irish Constabulary policeman.

In the early hours of 2 May 1916, the home of the Kent family (located at Bawnard House, Castlelyons, Co. Cork) was surrounded by a party of RIC policemen led by Head Constable Rowe. Inside the house were the brothers Thomas, David, Richard and William Kent. After calling on the occupants to surrender, a pitch battle ensued during which Head Contable Rowe was killed and David Kent was severely wounded. In a later attempt to escape, Richard Kent was seriously wounded; he died from his wounds two days later.

Thomas and William Kent were both tried by courts martial on the 4 May 1916; William was acquitted but Thomas was sentenced to death. He was executed five days later on 9 May 1916.

Roger Casement

Click hereto read about Roger Casement.