A vast amount and variety of events take place in Dublin this year to commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916. Most historical walking tours naturally focus on the GPO building O’Connell Street and it’s area. As every Irish schoolchild knows, the GPO was occupied by the key battalion of Easter Rebels including Pearse, Clarke and Connolly – all of whom were among the authors and signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read outside the GPO at the onset of the Rising. All seven signatories were among the 17 people executed in the immediate aftermath of the Rising, an event that changed Irish history forever.

We’ve taken a slightly different geographical approach to the 1916 Rising and focused on another area of the city. Aided by a generous grant from the Dublin City Council Commemoration Fund, and assisted by the library of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Arran Henderson of Dublin Decoded has designed a historic walking tour, leading guests on a 2-hour amble through the leafy area of Dublin 4 from Ballsbridge to the banks of the Grand Canal.   This affluent area was, in the main, staunchly Unionist in 1916. It might seem an incongruous route for our tour. Yet the fighting was fiercer and hotter here; and more British causalities fell here, than in any other place during the Easter Rebellion.   There are many interesting links to the Revolutionary era (including the site of Eamon de Valera’s captivity; the library Frank O’Connor worked in; and the home of the wealthy, doomed Republican “the O’Rahilly”).

We’ll use the route to catch a glimpse of the sedate, perhaps complacent upper middle and professional classes of Dublin (Catholic and Protestant alike) that thrived before the cataclysm of the First World War and specifically, Easter 1916. What was Edwardian Dublin like, in the calm, before the Irish Revolutionary storm? We’ll discuss and view some clues along our way, through architecture, institutions and social history. We’ll even take a more cursory glimpse at how the area is changing and developing today.But The majority of our tour will focus on the fierce battle between de Valera’s Boland’s Mill Battalion (and its outposts) and the ill-fated Sherwood Foresters.

We are confident you will find much to interest you along the way.

There are two opportunities to do the public version of our walk for free. Our first free dates took place confirmed * Wednesday 23^rd March at 5.45PM  Our second free date is * Sunday 03^rd April, with an earlier meeting and walk time, from 11.55AM (walk commences 12 PM – Noon). For this 03/04 date, please book here)  Please note that everyone is welcome and there is no charge for these two dates but places limited so attendees must register in advance on the link above.

For those who miss the free public dates listed above; or who have a large group; or who simply who prefer to book their own private, custom walk on their own dates, this walking tour available as a bookable private event, subject to an advance email enquiry and subject to normal fees. Available as private event either weekday afternoons only: €140 for up to 10, recommended start time 2.30 or 3PM) Or on weekend dates at flexible times (Sat and Sunday fees start €165 for up to 10 people.  To book this or any other of our tours, please email dublindecoded@gmail.com   and please put the title of the tour and your preferred date in your subject header. This information in subject header greatly facilitates a speedy response to your enquiry.  Many thanks.

For people who wish to hear about future Dublin Decoded public walks, please subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter which provides notifications of our upcoming public events, March-November each year. This newsletter is recommended especially for those who live in or near Dublin, (or who are frequent visitors) To subscribe to the newsletter, please   go here.

Start point for all our Easter 1916 in D4 walking tours: outside the door of the  members’ entrance of the Royal Dublin Society, (RDS)  on Merrion Road, Dublin 4.  (the Horse Show House pub is directly across the road on the far side from our meeting place outside RDS)  This information is on the ticket link.  Free tickets do not need to be printed, you can display them on a smartphone is desired.  Our End point: Mount Street bridge: 2 hours later approximately. Please note places on walks should be reserved in advance. Please wear suitable footwear and clothing as we will walk regardless of the weather!     We may add additional an date if the two above “sell” out.   Feel free to share this post.   We look forward to seeing you there.