A view of Sackville Street (now O'Connell), Dublin, Ireland and the bridge over the Liffey River framed by a spray of shamrocks. The card was postmarked Dublin, August 30, 1911.

Sackville Street, Dublin



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Valentine's Series

Known throughout the World

Valentine, Dublin

Printed in Scotland

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Friday, April 28, 1916

"Headquarters, Army of the Irish Republic,

General Post Office, Dublin,

28th April, 1916. 9:30 A.M.

The Forces of the Irish Republic which was proclaimed in Dublin, on Easter Monday, 24th April, have been in possession of the central part of the Capital since 12 noon on that day. Up to yesterday afternoon, Headquarters was in touch with all the main outlying positions, and, despite furious, and almost continuous assaults by the British Forces all those positions were then still being held, and the Commandants in charge were confident of their ability to hold them for a long time.

During the course of yesterday afternoon and evening the enemy succeeded in cutting our communications with our other positions in the city and Headquarters is to-day isolated.

The enemy has burnt down whole blocks of houses, apparently with the object of giving themselves a clear field for the play of artillery and field guns against us. We have been bombarded during the evening and night by shrapnel and machine gun fire, but without material damage to our position, which is of great strength.

We are busy completing arrangements for the final defence of Headquarters, and are determined to hold it while the buildings last."

Quotation Context

Beginning of a statement by Patrick H. Pearse, writing as Commandant-General Commanding-in-Chief, the Army of the Irish Republic and President of the Provisional Government, as the Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland was close to defeat. Writing of the same day, Irish poet and novelist James Stephens recorded that, south of the Liffey River, the rebels had taken to the rooftops, and that, though they could cause the British troops putting down the uprising a great deal of trouble from there, 'the fact that they have to take to the roofs, even through that be in their programme, means that they are finished' ((The Insurrection in Dublin, p. 58).

Source

The Easter Rebellion by Max Caulfield, page 305, copyright © 1963 by Max Caulfield, publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, publication date: 1963

Tags

1916-04-28, 1916, April, Easter Rising, Patrick Pearse, Pearse