Galway City and The Easter Rising 1916
Circumstances conspired to ensure that a lot less military action occurred than planned. But Galway City and County still played a pivotal role in the events of Easter Week 1916.
The plans for the Rising in Galway City envisaged the take-over of Colonial Buildings and Moon’s shop on the junction of William Street, Williamsgate Street and Eglinton Street, combined with attacks on RIC Barracks at Eglinton Street, Dominick Street and Salthill. This was to be co-ordinated with an attempt to block or control rail traffic in and out of the city. An attack on Renmore Military Barracks was envisaged in some historical accounts and the proposed take-over of the university is recorded in other sources. The taking of control of all post offices was vital to the plans and a plan to cut the railway line between Oranmore and Galway to prevent British Army reinforcements from reaching Galway City was also envisaged.
The possibility of blowing up the Galway-Clifden railway line was considered according to some sources, and contradictory sources suggest an attack on Royal Air Corps personnel was also planned.
Certain of the local business owners, notably Martin McDonagh (Máirtín Mór) and Joseph Young, were to be detained to prevent or thwart the mobilisation of the Redmondite National Volunteers. Several businessmen had also worked for years to establish the Galway Munitions Factory which, however, made its first shells only in 1918.
As it happened, National Volunteers did patrol with the British Army and RIC, and were present too at the ambush at Carnmore Cross when a RIC Constable, Patrick Whelan, was shot dead. He was to be the only fatality of the Rising in the Galway area. Whelan was based in the RIC Station at Eglinton Street in Galway City and is buried at the New Cemetery, Bohermore.
Although Sinn Féin was founded in Dublin in 1905, it was not until 1907 that the Galway Cumann became active. It was re-founded later as a result of the Rising and renamed, like many other Sinn Féin Cumann, after Thomas Ashe who died on hunger strike in 1917.
The founding of the Irish Volunteers in Dublin in 1913 was followed by their establishment in Galway after a meeting in the town hall in 1914. They were soon infiltrated by the Irish Republican Brotherhood just as Na Fianna Éireann (Bulmer Hobson and Constance Markievicz’s Irish Boy Scouts) had been a few years earlier. They had been refounded in 1909 in Dublin having been initially established in Antrim in 1901. Cumann na mBan had been established in Galway soon after their Dublin founding in 1914.
Cathair na Gaillimhe agus Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916
Ba ar chúiseanna éagsúla nár tugadh faoi chuid mhór den ghníomh míleata a bhí pleanáilte. Mar sin féin, bhí ról ríthábhachtach ag Cathair agus ag Contae na Gaillimhe in eachtraí Sheachtain na Cásca 1916.
Mar chuid de na pleananna don Éirí Amach i gCathair na Gaillimhe, beartaíodh na Foirgnimh Choilíneacha agus siopa Moon a bhí suite ag an acomhal idir Sráid Liam, Sráid Gheata Liam agus Sráid Eglinton a ghabháil, mar aon le hionsaí a dhéanamh ar na Dúnta de chuid Chonstáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann ar Shráid Eglinton, ar Shráid Dhoiminic agus i mBóthar na Trá. Bhí sé i gceist leis na pleananna sin freisin trácht iarnróid isteach sa chathair agus amach aisti a chosc nó a rialú. Beartaíodh, de réir cuntais stairiúla áirithe, ionsaí a dhéanamh ar Dhún Míleata na Rinne Móire. Tuairiscíodh i bhfoinsí eile go ndéanfaí iarracht an ollscoil a ghabháil. Cuid ríthábhachtach de na pleananna ba ea na hoifigí poist a ghabháil. Beartaíodh freisin an líne iarnróid idir Órán Mór agus Gaillimh a ghearradh d’fhonn cosc a chur ar thuilleadh fórsaí de chuid Arm na Breataine Cathair na Gaillimhe a shroicheadh.
Bhíothas ag smaoineamh, de réir foinsí áirithe, faoin líne iarnróid idir Gaillimh agus an Clochán a scriosadh. Tugtar le fios i bhfoinsí frithráiteacha gur pleanáladh ionsaí a dhéanamh ar phearsanra an Aerchóir Ríoga freisin.
Beartaíodh roinnt úinéirí áirithe gnó áitiúil, go háirithe Martin McDonagh (Máirtín Mór) agus Joseph Young, a choimeád ar mhaithe le slógadh Óglaigh Náisiúnta Réamainn a chosc nó a shárú. Bhí roinnt fear gnó ag obair le blianta roimhe sin chun Monarcha Muinisean na Gaillimhe a bhunú freisin, cé nár go dtí an bhliain 1918 a dhéanfaí na chéad sliogáin inti.
Mar a tharla, is amhlaidh go ndeachaigh na hÓglaigh Náisiúnta ar patról le hArm na Breataine agus le Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann. Bhí siad i láthair freisin ag an luíochán ag Crois an Chairn Mhóir, áit ar scaoileadh agus ar maraíodh Patrick Whelan, Constábla de chuid Chonstáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann. Ba é an t-aon duine amháin a maraíodh le linn an Éirí Amach i gceantar na Gaillimhe. Bhí Whelan lonnaithe i Stáisiún Chonstáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann ar Shráid Eglinton i gCathair na Gaillimhe. Tá sé curtha sa Reilig Nua, an Bóthar Mór.
Cé gur bunaíodh Sinn Féin i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1905, ba ina dhiaidh sin sa bhliain 1907 a tháinig Cumann na Gaillimhe i bhfeidhm. Athbhunaíodh é ní ba dhéanaí mar thoradh ar an Éirí Amach agus, faoi mar a tharla i gcás cuid mhór cumann eile de chuid Shinn Féin, athainmníodh é as Thomas Ashe a fuair bás sa bhliain 1917 agus é ar stailc ocrais.
Ag teacht sna sála ar bhunú Óglaigh na hÉireann i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1913, cuireadh ar bun i nGaillimh iad tar éis cruinniú i Halla an Bhaile sa bhliain 1914. Níorbh fhada gur shíothlaigh Bráithreachas Phoblacht na hÉireann isteach iontu, faoi mar a shíothlaigh siad isteach i bhFianna Éireann (Cumann Gasóg arna bhunú ag Bulmer Hobson agus ag Constance Markievicz) cúpla bliain roimhe sin. Cuireadh Óglaigh na hÉireann ar bun ar dtús in Aontroim sa bhliain 1901 agus athbhunaíodh iad i mBaile Átha Cliath ina dhiaidh sin sa bhliain 1909. Cuireadh Cumann na mBan ar bun i nGaillimh tamaillín tar éis é a bhunú i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1914.