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Read how three ordinary people decribe the Easter Rising of 1916.

The Old woman:

"I'll never forget the day that those men started that awful fighting in Dublin.  It was the 24 April, 1916....about three months ago.  I was out for a walk in the city centre enjoying the bank holiday Monday and the nice weather.  The shops were closed because anyone with money was gone to the races in Fairyhouse.  I noticed a lot of movement around Liberty Hall but I thought that it was just that Citizen Army drilling and marching like they usually did.   A rumour passed around that someone had read an announcement from the GPO and were saying that Ireland was now independent from Britain.  Well no-one believed it.   Our Irish boys were fighting for Britain in the war and we were waiting for Home Rule once the war was over.  These were stupid men who were putting this at risk.   Well, the fighting started and our lovely city was destroyed.  Us poor people came out best, with looting and so on widespread.  We were delighted when the English Army finally captured those Rebels.  We lined the roads and I admit that I was one person who threw rotten vegetables at them.  But then everything changed...

The war has no sign of ending and now they are talking about conscripting young Irish men to the English Army.  But the most awfu things have happened in the last three months.  We thought that the Rebels would be given long prison sentences butthe government starting executing them...fifteen men over three days before they put a stop to it.  As bad as the Rebels were they didn't deserve that.  That Padraig Pearse was a quite nice and mannerly and educated fellow but now he is dead.  The mood of the country is changing, mark my words.....

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Teenage Boy:

It was the most exciting thing that has happened around here in a long time.  All those men gathering to announce an independent Republic for Ireland...It eas great.  My father had to sign up for the British Army because we had no money and the Army pays good wages.  But my dad never liked the British.  He plays hurling for the local GAA team and was a member of the Volunteers before he went away.  Anyway, those men were so good.  Their arguments were very persuasive and I know that if my father was here he would be part of them.  That is why I volunteered.  I helped out in Boland's Mills with this really great man called De Valera.  Because I am so small I could get around the city quicker and more unnoticed than the adults.  Afterall no-one would suspect a child of being involved.  It was awful when the British captured us.  We were marched down the streets of Dublin and the people threw things at us.  I suppose that I don't really blame them.  The city was destroyed but you would have thought that they would support their own over the British... I'll never understand people.  There is awful rumours that they have executed fifteen.  News is unrealiable here in prison in Lincoln.  De Valera arrived here yesterday...He escaped execution because he is an American Citizen.  He is a hero.....

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The Shopkeeper:

I can't understand why they had to pick my shop.  I never bothered anyone.  I am not into politics and I don't treat anyone differently.  That Easter Monday morning my family and I went to the races at Fairyhouse.  While we were there we heard a rumour that fighting had broken out in Dublin.  Well, we just thought that it was some rioting or maybe more trouble from those trade unions that had caused the trouble back in 1913.   Little did we know.  We arrived back on Tuesday to find filthy children looting our lovely shop that we had worked so hard to build and keep open.  Well, we called the RIC (the gardai at the time) but they had more important things to be dealing with.  The city had found herself in chaos.   There was fighting everywhere and where there wasn't fighting there was looting and burning.  They wrecked my shop and my family and I will now have to go back to England and look for help from our relations there.

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