Rioting on Sackville (O’Connell) Street, 1913 Lockout

Members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)

Group of Irish Volunteers, c.1913

On 31 August 1913, police baton-charged a crowd of workers who had gathered to listen to the trade union organiser, James Larkin. This was the beginning of the Dublin Lockout. Workers, prevented from joining trade unions by their employers, were ‘locked out’ of their jobs for several months.

Established in 1836 as a police force in Ireland, the RIC were awarded the title ‘Royal’ in 1867 for sup-pressing the Fenian Rising of that year. This photo-graph includes four British soldiers and a member of the Royal Navy.

A meeting at the Rotunda in Dublin on 25 Novem-ber 1913 established the Irish Volunteers as a pri-vate armed force. The organisation aimed to defend Home Rule forw Ireland. The Irish Volunteers formed in response to the establishment of the Ulster Volun-teer Force, who opposed self-government for Ireland.

Children scavenging for firewood in the ruins of buildings destroyed in the RisingSome of the most deprived tenements in Dublin were located close to rebel outposts during the Easter Ris-ing. There were approximately 350 civilian deaths as a result of the fighting and these areas suffered se-vere food shortages.

Photograph Archive

Home of Tomás MacCurtain, taken shortly after his death, March 1920The Lord Mayor of Cork, Tomás Mac-Curtain, was shot dead in this house. Although MacCurtain’s assassination is often attributed to English mem-bers of the Black and Tans, it was ac-tually carried out by Irish members of the RIC.

Patrick Pearse reading his oration at the graveside of Jeremiah O’Donovan-RossaThe funeral of the Fenian leader, in particular Pearse’s powerful graveside oration, provided a rally-ing point for Irish nationalism nine months before the Easter Rising. 

Clock at the GPO, Dublin, showing the time it stopped at during the 1916 Rising

Truce begins, Dublin Castle, noon 11 July 1921Crowds gather at the gates of Dublin Castle expecting a formal announcement of the beginning of the ceasefire. However, no cer-emony took place to mark the oc-casion. A number of unarmed Aux-iliaries mingled with the crowd.

Fighting on O’Connell Street, Dublin, 5 July 1922Intense fighting between pro-Trea-ty and anti-Treaty forces took place in Dublin city in the summer of 1922, at the outset of the Irish Civil War. Here, crowds view the ruined buildings of O’Connell Street in the final hours of the fighting.

Funeral cortège of Lance Corporal Maddox leaving Bandon BarracksMaddox was killed during a raid by the Essex Regiment on the home of a suspected IRA member. Upon hearing of his death British sol-diers ran amok in Bandon town, attacking civilians and attempting to destroy property.

Michael Collins with a Free State soldierCollins arrived in Cork on 20 Au-gust 1922 to uncover IRA funds hidden in accounts in the city’s banks. Two days later he decided to tour West Cork. Collins was killed in an IRA ambush at Béal na mBláth as he returned to Cork city from Bandon.

General election posters, Co. Clare, August 1923

A young man pastes handbills to a wall announcing the arrest of Éa-mon de Valera while he was ad-dressing an election rally at Ennis. The new Free State political party, Cumann na nGaedheal, won the election, although Sinn Féin polled better than expected.

Dáil Éireann in session, Mansion House, DublinSinn Féin members elected in 1918 did not take their seats in the British parliament in Westminster. Instead, they formed Dáil Éireann as a parliament of an independent Irish Republic. The first meeting was on 21 January 1919.

Éamon de Valera addressing an anti-conscription meeting at Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon, 1918Plans to introduce conscription to the British Army in Ireland pro-vided a boost in support for the Sinn Féin party, who opposed the measure. Later that year the party won a landslide victory in the gen-eral election.

Patrick Pearse (right) surrenders to Brigadier General William Lowe (left) with Elizabeth O’FarrellIrish Republican forces surren-dered after six days of fighting. The dress and boots of Elizabeth O’Farrell are just visible next to Pearse. O’Farrell had couriered the message of surrender to the rebel leaders at outposts across Dublin city.

British soldiers at a barricade in a nationalist area of Belfast, c.1921

Michael Collins (left), unknown, and Harry Bland (right) at the All Ireland Hurling Final 21st Sept, 1921, Croke Park

Unionist women saying goodbye to British troops being evacuated from Dublin, January-March 1922

Young boys playing soldiers outside liberty hall Dublin, c.1912-1915

Ruined buildings on the eastern side of O Connell Street, Dublin, including the DBC Cinema folling the Easter Rising 1916

At the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising Eamonn De Valera (right) shares a drink with Captain Hitzen, ex-British army (left), who he surrendered to in 1916

Miss Barry O Delany, Maude Gonne MacBride, and Annie MacSwiney outside Mount-joy prison during the hunger strike that folled the Civil War, c. Oct 1923

A wounded Free State sol-dier being treated by a doc-tor in Dublin at the beginning of the Civil War, June-July 1922

Irish Volounteers parade at Laim Lynch Market, Cloghen, Co. Cork, July 1914

John Redmond overseeing the blessing of drums and colours at an Irish National Volunteers parade, c.1914

Joseph McGarrity and his father John in their car at Dungannon Co. Tyrone, early 1900s

Members of the Irish National Volunteers at rifle practice, c. 1914-1915

British armoured car made from locomotive steam/smoke boxes used during the Easter Rising, Dublin, 1916

Unidentified Irish Volunteer in uniform, c. 1915-1919

British soldiers on guard on the roof of the Four Courts, Dublin, c. 1916-20