Smoke billows from central city Dublin- 1916

More about Smoke billows from central city Dublin- 1916

Early on Easter Monday morning, 24 April, about 1,200 Irish Volunteers (a military organisation formed in 1913) and Irish Citizen Army members (trade unionists who had been trained in defence of workers' demonstrations) took over strong points in Dublin city centre and proclaimed the Irish Republic independent of the United Kingdom.

The rebels located their headquarters at Dublin's General Post Office. Other key buildings taken over included Dublin's court complex, hospital buildings and various factories.

The British troops in Dublin were caught unprepared and the response was disjointed. Two contingents of cavalry were sent to investigate what was happening; one troop of the 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment - dispatched from Marlborough Barracks - proceeded down Sackville Street. As it passed Nelson's Pillar, outside the GPO, the rebels opened fire, killing three cavalrymen (Private Herbert Cordwell, Shoeing Smith Charles O'Gorman and Serjeant H Shepherd) and fatally wounding a man (L/Cpl Austin Walton). As a result of this patrol, the cavalrymen withdrew and returned to their barracks.