April 24, 1916

The Easter Rising of 1916 began early in the morning of Monday, April 24 as close to 1,200 people – a combination of the Irish Volunteers and the Citizen Army – took over key points throughout Dublin, including the General Post Office (GPO), the headquarters of the uprising; the Four Courts, Dublin City Hall, St. Stephen’s Green and the Jacob’s Biscuit factory. Led by James Connolly, Padraig Pearse, Sean Mac Dermott, Joseph Plunkett and Eamonn Ceannt, the rising took the Dublin police and military forces mostly by surprise. The most notable encounter of the first day took place between Ceannt’s forces and men from the Royal Irish Regiment, near the South Dublin Union. Two republican flags were raised above the GPO, and Pearse read The Proclamation of the Republic.