'SF1916': featured videos:
'A Courier's Tale'
O'Connor was the IRB's Trans-Atlantic courier during Ireland's revolutionary period. In the lead up to the 1916 Rising, and throughout the subsequent War of Independence, Tommy carried vast sums of money raised in America back to Ireland to fund the revolutionary war and many coded messages between the Irish leadership on either side of the Atlantic. During the Rising , Tommy and his brother Johnny fought under the command of Ned Daly in the Four Courts area of Dublin. This is his story, told by his relatives.
The title, "A Courier's Tale", is taken from the book "A Courier's Tale, a biography of Thomas D O'Connor," by his grandson, Tommy Vogt.
'A Captain's Table'
'tied to a name'
Owensie is an Irish folk singer with an interesting family history. His great uncle, Séan Owens, was one of the first Irish Volunteers to be shot and killed during the Rising. Owensie's song 'Tied to a Name' is his tribute to that little-known piece of history.
Chris Shouldice, son of Irish Volunteer Jack, who fought at Reilly's Fort during the 1916 Rising, tells the fascinating story of how his father ended up acquiring the Captain's table from the HMY Helga, which shelled Dublin during Easter Week 1916.
'SF1916': Podcasts:
The 'Stories from 1916' weekly podcast was created to bring to life the extraordinary first-hand accounts that were left by the 'ordinary' men and women involved in the struggle for freedom during Ireland's Revolutionary period. By mixing narration with readings of extracts from the personal statements of those that were involved, often read by their living relatives, these little known stories are brought to life and further enhance the tales told on this online portal.
More Featured Stories:
'A Rebel Librarian'
'The Story Of Tom & Lucy'
Tom Byrne and Lucy Smyth, both of whom were in the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising, were at the very heart of Ireland's struggle for independence. Here, three generations of the 'Byrne' family speak about Tom and Lucy's lives before and after that fateful week almost 100 years ago.
When you think of a librarian, you probably don’t think of a daring young member of the Irish Volunteers, a man who stormed a building with just 12 of his comrades and held it for three days under intense fire, like Paddy Joe Stephenson. But a librarian he was, and as it turned out, it provided a great cover for him at times.