Comórdh 1916
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Comóradh 1916 – Coláiste Bríde
With Coláiste Bríde situated at the foot of Vinegar Hill it was fitting that we had a meaningful ceremony for Comóradh 1916 on 15 March 2016. The spirit of 1798 was re-awakened during Easter Week 1916 when Enniscorthy was one of only a couple of places outside of Dublin to take part in the Rising. Our ceremony included stories, poetry and music. We were joined by local historian, Cathal Burke O’Leary, who recounted the events that happened in Enniscorthy during 1916. One of the most significant parts of our celebration was when students and teachers told of the parts played by their own relatives in the Rising. At the end we moved outside where a junior and senior student read their Proclamation for 2016. Ava Kelly and Nayla Bolger then raised the tricolour. This was particularly symbolic as both students are related to Una Brennan who raised the flag over the Athenaeum 100 years ago. We closed the ceremony with Amhrán na bhFiann. |
Ár ngaolta, ár laochra
1916: Stories from our school.
My great-grandfather Phil Murphy lived in Weafer Street. He was the Quarter Master of the Volunteers in the Athenaeum. This means he was responsible for the distribution of guns to the Volunteers during Easter Week. He was arrested for his part in Ireland’s struggle for freedom. He was imprisoned in Frongoch in Wales. He was also dismissed from his job as a postman for being a member of an illegal organisation.
Amy Murphy 1B
My great-grandfather James Kavanagh was vice O/C in Bolands’ Bakery in Dublin during the 1916 Rising. He was sent to prison and was in the same cell as Countess Markievicz and they became friends.
Anna Kavanagh 1C
My great-great-uncle Jack Courtney was 20 years old at the time of the Rising. He was stationed in the Athenaeum during the Rising. He was hunted by the RIC after the Rising and was forced to spend 6 weeks on the run, sleeping in the ditches. My great-great-aunt Elizabeth Courtney was a member of Cumann na mBan and was 26 years old at the time of the Rising.
Laura Doyle 1C
My grand-aunt Polly Kelly was leader of the Oylegate Cumann na mBan during the Rising. My Grandad’s cousin Una Bolger raised the flag in the Athenaeum. Her husband was leading Commandant Robert Brennan. He was arrested and sentenced to death but was released in June.
Ava Kelly 2C
My great-grandad John Joseph O’Brien played a big part in the Rising in Enniscorthy. His role was to deliver orders and ammunition to small areas outside of Enniscorthy. He went by bicycle to places like Rathnure and Kiltealy. He was also one of the men stationed in the Athenaeum awaiting orders from Pearse to surrender. They wouldn’t surrender until it was in writing.
Abi Bolger 2C
My great-grandfather Seán Whelan played a very important part in the Rising in Enniscorthy. He was a committed and ardent nationalist. He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914. He was a quarter-master for the North Wexford Brigade. He was responsible for administering barracks, laying out camps and looking after supplies. He managed to evade capture and later played a key role in the War of Independence.
Ciara Cloke 2C
My great-grandfather Patrick Kenny fought in the Rising. He fought with the Wexford Brigade. He died of pneumonia in the ditches during the Rising aged 33. He was later found and is now buried in Ferns cemetery.
Ciara O’Sullivan 2C
Min and Phyllis Ryan were my great-great-granny’s cousins. Min was a founding member of Cumann na mBan and was later appointed secretary of the organisation. She was a close friend of Seán MacDiarmada. She acted as a messenger to and from the GPO during the Rising. She later married Richard Mulcahy (Minister for Defence in Cumann na nGaedheal government). Phyllis Ryan (O’Kelly) was also in Cumann na mBan and was on active duty in the GPO during Easter week 1916 when she was only 21. She carried dispatches for Pádraig Pearse. She later married Seán T.O’Kelly (2nd President of Ireland). Una Bolger was my great-grandad Matthew’s cousin. She was a member of Cumann na mBan and worked for the Echo newspaper. She was one of the women to raise the tricolour over the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy.
Sarah Downes 2C
My great-grandad John (Jack) Carroll joined the Fianna in 1913 and the Volunteers in 1916. During the Rising he was a member of A Company (Enniscorthy Company), Wexford Brigade. He was not arrested after the Rising and went on to fight in the War of Independence. My great-granduncle Joseph Carroll was also a member of Enniscorthy Company during the Rising. He was arrested and deported after the surrender. He was released from Stafford Jail in late summer of 1916. He re-joined the Volunteers in 1917 and served throughout the War of Independence.
Racheal Owens 5E
My grandfather Thomas O’Brien took an active part in the rebellion of Easter Week 1916. He was stationed at a house on Irish Street where he was responsible for guarding an ammunition factory. He was also involved in the fighting that took place in the Athenaeum. In his personal account of this historic event, he spoke of being fired at by British forces who had taken over the Bank of Ireland. Thomas O’Brien went on to play a significant role in the War of Independence.
Niamh Crowhurst 5C
My great-uncle Nicholas Hendrick was 15 at the time of the Rising. He fought at Keegan’s Irish Street, the Athenaeum, Edermine Bridge, Borrmount Cross and the Court House in Enniscorthy. He was not arrested or detained after the Rising. My great-grand-uncle William Hendrick was a member of A Company Enniscorthy Battalion, Wexford Brigade. During the Rising he fought at Keegans, the Athenaeum, White’s Corner, Letts’ Brewery, Salville Cross, Y.M.C.A Enniscorthy and Market Square. He was arrested on Tuesday 2nd May and deported to Frongoch. He was released in August 1916.
Jade Byrne 5C
My great-great-grandfather James Healy was a member of A Company Wexford Brigade during the Rising. He was aged 35 at the time. He fought at Abbey Street, Enniscorthy. He was involved in destroying the railway line between Edermine and Enniscorthy, however they were interrupted by the RIC. While retreating he fell and broke 2 ribs. James was taken to Enniscorthy Hospital until the 6th of May when he was arrested and deported to Frongoch. He was released on Christmas Eve 1916.
Caitlyn Millar 5D
My great-great-uncle Harry Buttle was a member of the 8-man peace committee in Enniscorthy during the Rising. He saw it as his duty to prevent destruction and bloodshed and to represent the ordinary people caught between the two sides. He travelled to Wexford to negotiate with Colonel French. He was often in very high-risk situations as he tried to convince the Enniscorthy rebels to surrender because the Rising in Dublin was over.
Niamh Buttle 5B
My great-grandmother’s cousin was John MacBride. He was an Irish Republican who participated in the 1916 Rising. He was second-in-command at Jacob’s factory. After the Rising he was arrested and court martialled. He was later executed in Kilmainham Gaol on the 5th of May 1916, 2 days before his 48th birthday.
Emilie Aucher 6E
My great-great-uncle Thomas Whelan was a Volunteer in Ferns Company, Wexford Brigade. He was 25 years old at the time of the Rising. He fought in the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy and at the RIC Barracks in Ferns. He was arrested and deported to Frongoch. After his release he went on to fight in the War of Independence. He was on the pro-Treaty side during the Civil War.
Colleen Coughlan 3A
My great-great-grandfather Andrew Doyle was attracted to the movement for national independence. He joined the Irish Volunteers at their inception and responded to the call in Easter Week 1916. My great-great-grandfather James Healy was one of the party of Volunteers detained for the destruction of the railway line at the Boro Bridge during Easter Week.
Rebekah Long 5C
My great-great-grandfather James Doolan was a member of Volunteer A Company, Wexford Brigade, Irish Volunteers. He fought in the Athenaeum, Enniscorthy Castle, Salvin Cross, Enniscorthy and Ferns Village. He was arrested on the 2nd of May and taken to Waterford and then Beggars Bush Barracks. He was transported to Stafford Jail and then detained in Frongoch. He served with the IRA throughout the War of Independence and took the anti-Treaty side during the Civil War.
Eimear Byrne 2A
My great-grand-uncle was Seán McMahon. He joined the Volunteers at their inception in 1913 and was enrolled as a member of B Company, 3rd Battalion, Dublin City Brigade. He became 1st Lieutenant under O’Rahilly and promoted to Captain in 1915. After the Rising he was deported and imprisoned in Wakefield, then Frongoch, then Wormwood Scrubbs. He later succeeded Michael Collins as the head of the IRB.
Hollie Kenny 2A
My grandfather John Whelan was 29 years old when he fought in the 1916 Rising. He was working for Buttle Bros. in Enniscorthy at the time. His duties included guarding the Athenaeum which was the headquarters for the Volunteers. He also removed train tracks so that the soldiers coming in from Rosslare Harbour could not travel to Dublin by train and had to cycle instead. He was arrested on Thursday 4th May from behind the counter in Buttles’ shop and sent to Stafford Jail in England. My grandfather said that he was treated very well in prison but newspaper reports suggest quite the opposite. He was released from prison on 8th June and his employers, The Buttle Bros., were instrumental in his release. However, they fired him due to his involvement in the Rising. My grandfather came back to live in Blackwater where he was married and had 3 sons. He died peacefully on 29th March 1966.
Olive McGuinness (Teacher)
I didn’t realise that my great-grandfather Dr. Michael Kelly had connections with the 1916 Rising until it was brought to my attention in 2016!!!
“Coming directly as a result of nights without sleep and wearing wet clothes for days, my health was in a bad way and I was very badly run down. At this time I was attended by the late Dr.Kelly of Killane. During those difficult years, Dr. Kelly had been a great help to the men of the Column. Besides being an outstanding Irishman, he was a remarkable doctor, upholding the highest traditions of the profession”. [Extract taken from the witness statement of: Thomas Dwyer – Q.M. Wexford Brigade Fianna Éireann; member of the Nos.1 and 2 Flying columns. Bureau of Military History, 1913-21]
Michelle McEvoy (Teacher)
Amy Murphy 1B
My great-grandfather James Kavanagh was vice O/C in Bolands’ Bakery in Dublin during the 1916 Rising. He was sent to prison and was in the same cell as Countess Markievicz and they became friends.
Anna Kavanagh 1C
My great-great-uncle Jack Courtney was 20 years old at the time of the Rising. He was stationed in the Athenaeum during the Rising. He was hunted by the RIC after the Rising and was forced to spend 6 weeks on the run, sleeping in the ditches. My great-great-aunt Elizabeth Courtney was a member of Cumann na mBan and was 26 years old at the time of the Rising.
Laura Doyle 1C
My grand-aunt Polly Kelly was leader of the Oylegate Cumann na mBan during the Rising. My Grandad’s cousin Una Bolger raised the flag in the Athenaeum. Her husband was leading Commandant Robert Brennan. He was arrested and sentenced to death but was released in June.
Ava Kelly 2C
My great-grandad John Joseph O’Brien played a big part in the Rising in Enniscorthy. His role was to deliver orders and ammunition to small areas outside of Enniscorthy. He went by bicycle to places like Rathnure and Kiltealy. He was also one of the men stationed in the Athenaeum awaiting orders from Pearse to surrender. They wouldn’t surrender until it was in writing.
Abi Bolger 2C
My great-grandfather Seán Whelan played a very important part in the Rising in Enniscorthy. He was a committed and ardent nationalist. He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914. He was a quarter-master for the North Wexford Brigade. He was responsible for administering barracks, laying out camps and looking after supplies. He managed to evade capture and later played a key role in the War of Independence.
Ciara Cloke 2C
My great-grandfather Patrick Kenny fought in the Rising. He fought with the Wexford Brigade. He died of pneumonia in the ditches during the Rising aged 33. He was later found and is now buried in Ferns cemetery.
Ciara O’Sullivan 2C
Min and Phyllis Ryan were my great-great-granny’s cousins. Min was a founding member of Cumann na mBan and was later appointed secretary of the organisation. She was a close friend of Seán MacDiarmada. She acted as a messenger to and from the GPO during the Rising. She later married Richard Mulcahy (Minister for Defence in Cumann na nGaedheal government). Phyllis Ryan (O’Kelly) was also in Cumann na mBan and was on active duty in the GPO during Easter week 1916 when she was only 21. She carried dispatches for Pádraig Pearse. She later married Seán T.O’Kelly (2nd President of Ireland). Una Bolger was my great-grandad Matthew’s cousin. She was a member of Cumann na mBan and worked for the Echo newspaper. She was one of the women to raise the tricolour over the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy.
Sarah Downes 2C
My great-grandad John (Jack) Carroll joined the Fianna in 1913 and the Volunteers in 1916. During the Rising he was a member of A Company (Enniscorthy Company), Wexford Brigade. He was not arrested after the Rising and went on to fight in the War of Independence. My great-granduncle Joseph Carroll was also a member of Enniscorthy Company during the Rising. He was arrested and deported after the surrender. He was released from Stafford Jail in late summer of 1916. He re-joined the Volunteers in 1917 and served throughout the War of Independence.
Racheal Owens 5E
My grandfather Thomas O’Brien took an active part in the rebellion of Easter Week 1916. He was stationed at a house on Irish Street where he was responsible for guarding an ammunition factory. He was also involved in the fighting that took place in the Athenaeum. In his personal account of this historic event, he spoke of being fired at by British forces who had taken over the Bank of Ireland. Thomas O’Brien went on to play a significant role in the War of Independence.
Niamh Crowhurst 5C
My great-uncle Nicholas Hendrick was 15 at the time of the Rising. He fought at Keegan’s Irish Street, the Athenaeum, Edermine Bridge, Borrmount Cross and the Court House in Enniscorthy. He was not arrested or detained after the Rising. My great-grand-uncle William Hendrick was a member of A Company Enniscorthy Battalion, Wexford Brigade. During the Rising he fought at Keegans, the Athenaeum, White’s Corner, Letts’ Brewery, Salville Cross, Y.M.C.A Enniscorthy and Market Square. He was arrested on Tuesday 2nd May and deported to Frongoch. He was released in August 1916.
Jade Byrne 5C
My great-great-grandfather James Healy was a member of A Company Wexford Brigade during the Rising. He was aged 35 at the time. He fought at Abbey Street, Enniscorthy. He was involved in destroying the railway line between Edermine and Enniscorthy, however they were interrupted by the RIC. While retreating he fell and broke 2 ribs. James was taken to Enniscorthy Hospital until the 6th of May when he was arrested and deported to Frongoch. He was released on Christmas Eve 1916.
Caitlyn Millar 5D
My great-great-uncle Harry Buttle was a member of the 8-man peace committee in Enniscorthy during the Rising. He saw it as his duty to prevent destruction and bloodshed and to represent the ordinary people caught between the two sides. He travelled to Wexford to negotiate with Colonel French. He was often in very high-risk situations as he tried to convince the Enniscorthy rebels to surrender because the Rising in Dublin was over.
Niamh Buttle 5B
My great-grandmother’s cousin was John MacBride. He was an Irish Republican who participated in the 1916 Rising. He was second-in-command at Jacob’s factory. After the Rising he was arrested and court martialled. He was later executed in Kilmainham Gaol on the 5th of May 1916, 2 days before his 48th birthday.
Emilie Aucher 6E
My great-great-uncle Thomas Whelan was a Volunteer in Ferns Company, Wexford Brigade. He was 25 years old at the time of the Rising. He fought in the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy and at the RIC Barracks in Ferns. He was arrested and deported to Frongoch. After his release he went on to fight in the War of Independence. He was on the pro-Treaty side during the Civil War.
Colleen Coughlan 3A
My great-great-grandfather Andrew Doyle was attracted to the movement for national independence. He joined the Irish Volunteers at their inception and responded to the call in Easter Week 1916. My great-great-grandfather James Healy was one of the party of Volunteers detained for the destruction of the railway line at the Boro Bridge during Easter Week.
Rebekah Long 5C
My great-great-grandfather James Doolan was a member of Volunteer A Company, Wexford Brigade, Irish Volunteers. He fought in the Athenaeum, Enniscorthy Castle, Salvin Cross, Enniscorthy and Ferns Village. He was arrested on the 2nd of May and taken to Waterford and then Beggars Bush Barracks. He was transported to Stafford Jail and then detained in Frongoch. He served with the IRA throughout the War of Independence and took the anti-Treaty side during the Civil War.
Eimear Byrne 2A
My great-grand-uncle was Seán McMahon. He joined the Volunteers at their inception in 1913 and was enrolled as a member of B Company, 3rd Battalion, Dublin City Brigade. He became 1st Lieutenant under O’Rahilly and promoted to Captain in 1915. After the Rising he was deported and imprisoned in Wakefield, then Frongoch, then Wormwood Scrubbs. He later succeeded Michael Collins as the head of the IRB.
Hollie Kenny 2A
My grandfather John Whelan was 29 years old when he fought in the 1916 Rising. He was working for Buttle Bros. in Enniscorthy at the time. His duties included guarding the Athenaeum which was the headquarters for the Volunteers. He also removed train tracks so that the soldiers coming in from Rosslare Harbour could not travel to Dublin by train and had to cycle instead. He was arrested on Thursday 4th May from behind the counter in Buttles’ shop and sent to Stafford Jail in England. My grandfather said that he was treated very well in prison but newspaper reports suggest quite the opposite. He was released from prison on 8th June and his employers, The Buttle Bros., were instrumental in his release. However, they fired him due to his involvement in the Rising. My grandfather came back to live in Blackwater where he was married and had 3 sons. He died peacefully on 29th March 1966.
Olive McGuinness (Teacher)
I didn’t realise that my great-grandfather Dr. Michael Kelly had connections with the 1916 Rising until it was brought to my attention in 2016!!!
“Coming directly as a result of nights without sleep and wearing wet clothes for days, my health was in a bad way and I was very badly run down. At this time I was attended by the late Dr.Kelly of Killane. During those difficult years, Dr. Kelly had been a great help to the men of the Column. Besides being an outstanding Irishman, he was a remarkable doctor, upholding the highest traditions of the profession”. [Extract taken from the witness statement of: Thomas Dwyer – Q.M. Wexford Brigade Fianna Éireann; member of the Nos.1 and 2 Flying columns. Bureau of Military History, 1913-21]
Michelle McEvoy (Teacher)