Courts Martial and Death Sentences
39. 16 men were executed for their roles in the Easter Rising. 14 of these were carried out by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol under the orders of General Maxwell, whose orders had also caused the deaths of over a dozen civilians in the North King Street Massacre.
40. Of all the leaders tried for treason for their roles in the Easter Rising, Willie Pearse, younger brother of Padraig Pearse, was the only one to plead guilty to the charges.
41. Connolly’s injuries were so grave that he had to be carried to his execution on a stretcher. He was tied to a chair and shot dead.
42. On the eve of Tom Clarke’s execution, his wife, Kathleen, a founding member of Cumann na mBan, visited him in his cell. Although she was newly pregnant, she declined to tell him the news.
43. The wedding of Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford took place at Kilmainham Gaol eight hours before his execution. They were immediately separated.
44. Grace spent the rest of her life wearing widow’s mourning clothes.
45. Leaders who avoided execution included Countess Constance Markievicz (on account of her sex) and Eamonn De Valera, because of his United States citizenship.
46. At Christmas, 1916, Liam Mellows escaped to America aboard a British munitions ship disguised as a mourning woman. Unfortunately he was caught upon arrival in New York, arrested and detained without trial in “Tombs” Prison, where he served two years.
47. As several days of executions in May 1916 wore on, public sentiment began to turn in favour of the rebels, their deaths becoming effective martyrdoms. The British, sensing growing Irish nationalism, initially tried to suppress the unrest, but eventually conceded.
48. One year to the date of Connolly’s death, Citizen Army nurse Rosie Hackett hung a banner with the words “James Connolly murdered, May 12th 1916” at the front of Liberty Hall.
Armchúirteanna agus Breitheanna Báis
39. Cuireadh 16 fhear chun báis as a gcuid ról in Éirí Amach na Cásca. Rinne scuad lámhaigh i bPríosún Chill Mhaighneann 14 cinn acu seo ar ordaithe an Ghinearáil Maxwell. A chuid ordaithe sin ba chúis le marú breis is dhá dhuine dhéag i Sléacht Shráid an Rí Thuaidh freisin.
40. As na ceannairí ar fad a triaileadh i dtréas as a gcuid ról in Éirí Amach na Cásca, ba é Liam Mac Piarais, deartháir óg Phádraig Mhic Phiarais, an t-aon duine amháin acu a phléadáil ciontach sna cúisimh.
41. Bhí gortuithe Uí Chonghaile chomh holc sin gurbh éigean é a iompar ar shínteán chuig an ionad básaithe. Ceanglaíodh de chathaoir é agus scaoileadh marbh é.
42. An oíche sular cuireadh Tomás Ó Cléirigh chun báis, thug a bhean chéile, Kathleen, duine de bhunaitheoirí Chumann na mBan, cuairt air ina chillín. Cé go raibh sí ag iompar clainne, níor inis sí sin dó.
43. Phós Seosamh Pluincéid Grace Gifford i bPríosún Chill Mhaighneann ocht n-uaire an chloig sular cuireadh chun báis é. Scaradh óna chéile láithreach iad.
44. Chaith Grace éadaí bróin baintrí don chuid eile dá saol.
45. Níor cuireadh ceannairí áirithe chun báis, mar shampla an Chuntaois Constance Markievicz (mar gheall ar a hinscne) agus Éamon de Valera de bhrí gur shaoránach de chuid Mheiriceá é.
46. Um Nollaig 1916, d’éalaigh Liam Ó Maoilíosa go Meiriceá ar bord long muinisean na Breataine agus é i mbréagriocht mná faoi bhrón. Ar an drochuair, rugadh air ar shroicheadh Nua-Eabhrac dó, gabhadh é agus coinníodh i ngéibheann é gan triail i bPríosún ‘na dTuamaí’, áit ar chaith sé dhá bhliain.
47. De réir mar a cuireadh na ceannairí chun báis thar roinnt laethanta i mí na Bealtaine 1916, bhí dearcadh an phobail ag athrú i bhfabhar na reibiliúnach – ba chosúil nach raibh a mbás in aisce agus go raibh brí lena mairtíreacht. Bhraith na Briotanaigh go raibh náisiúnachas na hÉireann ag dul i méid agus rinne siad iarracht an chorraíl a chur faoi chois i dtús báire, ach ghéill siad sa deireadh.
48. Go díreach bliain amháin tar éis bhás Uí Chonghaile, chroch banaltra san Arm Cathartha, Rosie Hackett, meirge ar aghaidh Halla na Saoirse ar a raibh na focail “Séamas Ó Conghaile, a dúnmharaíodh an 12 Bealtaine 1916”.