1916 Read online

  Praise for 1916

  “A timely and gripping novel…The historical characters are woven into a masterful plot.”

  —The Irish Times

  “An ideal introduction and road map to Irish history in this century. It is a gripping, entertaining, and heartwarming fictional love story wrapped around a carefully constructed historical framework in a fact-packed style that should make even historian-journalist Tim Pat Coogan proud.”

  —The Roanoke Times

  “In Llywelyn’s skilled hands the lives of the fictional and real-life characters mesh as miscalculations, misjudgments, and betrayal lead inexorably to the firing squad…1916 is an involving and enriching experience.”

  —The Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

  “We watch as a group of inexperienced, out-of-shape idealists grow into a spirited army that lost the battle of 1916, but set the tone for future resistance…. The fiery spirit of the Irish makes this book a shining example of how pride and passion can lead even humble men and women into moments of greatness.”

  —The Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

  “Morgan Llywelyn’s meticulously researched historical novel…brings to life the characters and events of Easter 1916 as does no other work with which I am familiar…. The hopelessness of the situations, offset by the determination, idealism, and single-mindedness of the protagonists, is beautifully portrayed.”

  —The Irish Emigrant Book Review

  “She has succeeded in capturing and vivifying one of the most critical moments in Ireland’s troubled history. Her story, which blends fact with fancy, has moments of great poignancy; and throughout it is pervaded by a delicately rendered sadness.”

  —Library Journal

  “Llywelyn tells her tale with gusto and a respect for the facts; a good deal of both bizarre and somber history shines through the fictional fustian of its likable characters.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “[Ned’s] coming-of-age is complicated by his feelings of nationalism, the love of several women, and his rescue of a young orphan during a street battle. YAs will get caught up in the excitement of this epic novel and root for Ned as he tries to save his comrades and fights side by side with the woman he loves.”

  —School Library Journal

  “1916 is the most compelling novel of the Irish Troubles I’ve ever read. When you’ve finished this book—when you have experienced it from beginning to end, as I have—you will know the meaning of ‘a terrible beauty.’”

  —Parke Godwin

  THE PROCLAMATION OF

  POBLACHT NA H EIREANN.

  THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT

  OF THE

  IRISH REPUBLIC

  TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND.

  IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.

  Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory.

  We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of the Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty: six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exhaltation among the nations.

  The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which has divided a minority from the majority in the past.

  Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National Government, representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the provisional Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.

  We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God, Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine. In this supreme hour, the Irish nation must, by its valour and discipline and by the readiness of its children top sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.

  Signed on Behalf of the Provisional Government.

  THOMAS J. CLARKE

  SEAN Mac DIARMADA.

  P. H. PEARSE.

  JAMES CONNOLLY.

  THOMAS MacDONAGH.

  EAMONN CEANNT.

  JOSEPH PLUNKETT

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  For

  Tom Doherty

  O WISE MEN, RIDDLE ME THIS: WHAT IF THE DREAM COME

  TRUE?

  WHAT IF THE DREAM COME TRUE, AND IF MILLIONS UNBORN

  SHALL DWELL

  IN THE HOUSE THAT I SHAPED IN MY HEART, THE NOBLE

  HOUSE OF MY THOUGHT?

  LORD, I HAVE STAKED MY SOUL, I HAVE STAKED THE LIVES OF

  MY KIN

  ON THE TRUTH OF THY DREADFUL WORD, DO NOT REMEMBER

  MY FAILURES,

  BUT REMEMBER THIS MY FAITH.

  PÁDRAIC PEARSE, 1915

  Dramatis Personae

  Major Fictional Characters

  Edward Joseph Halloran (Ned)

  Kathleen Halloran Campbell

  Alexander Campbell

  Síle Duffy

  Henry Mooney

  Father Paul O’Shaughnessy

  Mary Cosgrave

  Ursula Jervis (Precious)

  Secondary Fictional Characters

  Patrick Halloran and Theresa Daly Halloran, Ned’s parents

  Francis Patrick Halloran, Ned’s older brother

  Lucy and Eileen Halloran, Ned’s younger sisters

  Aunt Norah Daly

  Daniel Duffy

  Thomas and Janey Devlin

  Father Hagerty

  Bridie Lynch

  Louise Kearney

  Mrs. Flanagan

  Alderman and Mrs. Claffey

  Eliza Goggins

  Della Thornberry

  Neville Grantham

 
Sister Concepta

  Des and Ina Cahill

  Historical Characters

  (Those who were executed for their part in the Rising are shown in bold type.)

  Aloysius, Father. Capuchin priest

  Asquith, Herbert Henry. Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1908–1916

  Astor, Vincent. American millionaire whose father, John Jacob Astor, died aboard the Titanic

  Beauchamp, Robert H. Dublin solicitor

  Birrell, Augustine. Chief Secretary for Ireland

  Bowen-Colthurst, Captain J. C. British army officer at Portobello Barracks

  Burke, Frank. Student at Saint Enda’s who became its last headmaster

  Brugha, Cathal (Charles Burgess). Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1874. Second-in-command to Eamonn Ceannt at the South Dublin Union. Killed in 1922 during the Irish Civil War.

  Carson, Sir Edward. Leader of the Irish Unionist Party

  Carney, Winifred. James Connolly’s secretary

  Casement, Sir Roger (1864–1916). Born in County Dublin, Ireland. Former British consul; gained an international reputation as an investigator of human rights abuses. Treasurer of the Irish National Volunteers.

  Ceannt, Eamonn (Edmund Kent) (1881–1916). Born in County Galway, Ireland. Musician; clerk with Dublin Corporation. Member of the Military Council, IRB. Director of Communications, Irish Volunteers, and Commandant of the Fourth Battalion, Dublin Brigade.

  Clarke, Kathleen Daly. Tom Clarke’s wife, member of Cumann na mBan

  Clarke, Thomas James (1857–1916). Born on Isle of Wight, grew up in Dublin. Emigrated to America in 1880. In New York joined Clan na Gael, was arrested on a mission to England, served fifteen years in prison. Returned to Ireland in 1907. Member of the Supreme Council, IRB; and of the Military Council, IRB.

  Colbert, Con (1893–1916). Born in Limerick, Ireland. Organizer of the Saint Enda’s branch of the Fianna. Assigned as Pádraic Pearse’s bodyguard during the Rising.

  Collins, Michael (1890–1922). Born in County Cork, Ireland. Aide-decamp to Joseph Plunkett during the Rising. Commander-in-Chief of the Free State Army during the Irish Civil War.

  Colum, Pádraic. Writer, poet, and folklorist

  Connolly, James (1870–1916). Born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Socialist, labor leader, and journalist. Spent seven years in America studying the trade union movement. Commandant-General of the Dublin Forces during the Rising.

  Daly, Edward (1891–1916). Born in County Limerick, Ireland. Kathleen Clarke’s brother, Commandant of the First Battalion, Dublin Brigade.

  de Valera, Eamon (1882–1975). Born in New York of a Spanish father and an Irish mother. Grew up in Ireland. Mathematician and teacher. Commandant of the Third Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. Became President of the Irish Free State in 1932.

  Devoy, John. Leader of Clan na Gael in the United States

  Dillon, John. Nationalist Member of Parliament

  Flanagan, Father. Curate of the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin

  Franklin, A. S. Vice President of the White Star Line

  Fitzgerald, Desmond. Member of Headquarters Company in the G.P.O.

  Friend, Major-General Lovick Bransby. Commanding officer of British forces in Ireland, 1914–1916

  Gifford, Grace. Artist; Joseph Plunkett’s fiancée

  Green, Alice Stopford. Historian; widow of J. R. Green, author of the Short History of the English People

  Grenan, Julia. Nurse in the G.P.O.

  Griffith, Arthur (1871–1922). Journalist and publisher of Sinn Féin

  Guest, Ivor Churchill. Baron Wimborne, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the Rising

  Hanrahan, Michael (d. 1916). Quartermaster-General of the Irish Volunteers

  Heuston, Seán (1897–1916). Captain of Na Fianna Eireann; Company Leader, D Company, First Battalion, Dublin Brigade

  Hobson, Bulmer. Secretary of the Irish National Volunteers

  Hyde, Douglas (1860–1949). Co-founder of the Gaelic League

  Joyce, Brian. Former student at Saint Enda’s who fought in the Rising

  Kelly, Tom. Alderman of Dublin

  Kent, Thomas (d. 1916). Officer with the Volunteers in County Cork

  Kitchener, Horatio Herbert. First Earl, British Secretary of State for War

  Larkin, James (1876–1947). Founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union

  Little, Patrick J. Editor of New Ireland

  Lowe, Brigadier-General W. H. M. Accepted Pearse’s surrender.

  Lynn, Kathleen Florence. Physician; medical officer for the Citizen Army. One of the first women in Ireland to take a degree in medicine.

  MacBride, John (1865–1916). Born in County Mayo; husband of Maud Gonne; second-in-command to Thomas MacDonagh at Jacob’s Factory; father of Seán MacBride, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.

  MacCarthy, Rev. Eugene. Prison chaplain at Kilmainham

  Mac Diarmada, Seán (Seán MacDermott) (1884–1916). Born in County Leitrim, Ireland. National Organizer for Irish Republican Brotherhood. Member of the Military Council, IRB.

  MacDonagh, Thomas (1878–1916). Born in County Tipperary, Ireland. Poet, university professor, editor of the Irish Review. Became a member of the Military Council, IRB. Commandant of the Second Battalion, Dublin Brigade.

  MacDonnell, Thomas. Music and Dancing Master at Saint Enda’s

  MacNeill, Eoin (1867–1945). Co-founder of the Gaelic League; university lecturer and historian. President and Chief of Staff of the Irish National Volunteers.

  MacRory, Michael. Head gardener at Saint Enda’s

  Mahony, Lieutenant. British surgeon who helped in the G.P.O.

  Markievicz, Constance (1868–1927). Daughter of Sir Henry Gore-Booth, Baronet. Wife of Count Casimir Markievicz. Co-founder with Bulmer Hobson of Na Fianna Eireann. Member of Cumann na mBan and the Citizen Army. Second-in-command to Michael Mallin in Saint Stephen’s Green. Later, while in an English prison, became the first woman to win election to the British Parliament although she never took her seat there. Subsequently served in the new Irish Parliament as the world’s first Minister of Labor.

  Martyn, Edward. Playwright

  Maxwell, General Sir John Grenfell. Commander-in-Chief of British forces in Ireland in 1916

  Nathan, Sir Matthew. Under-Secretary for Ireland

  Norway, Arthur. Postmaster-General of Ireland and father of novelist Nevil Shute, author of On the Beach

  O’Brien, Lucius. Lord Inchiquin

  O’Farrell, Elizabeth. Nurse in the G.P.O. who carried the surrender message

  O’Grady, Standish. Novelist

  O’Kelly, Seán T. (1882–1966). Aide-de-camp to Pádraic Pearse during the Rising, subsequently envoy to Paris Peace Conference to promote recognition of Irish independence. President of Ireland 1945–1959.

  O’Rahilly, Michael Joseph—“The O’Rahilly” (1875–1916). Born in County Kerry, Ireland. Emigrated to America, returned to Ireland in 1909. Member of the Gaelic League central executive. Director of Arms for the Irish Volunteers.

  Otter, Richard. Merchant from Liverpool who died on the Titanic

  Pearse, Margaret Brady. Pádraic Pearse’s mother

  Pearse, Margaret and Mary Brigid. Sisters of Pádraic

  Pearse, Pádraic (Patrick Henry Pearse) (1879–1916). Born in Dublin, Ireland. Headmaster of Saint Enda’s. Writer, editor, poet, playwright, educationalist. Degree in Law from University College, Dublin, and King’s Inns; practiced briefly as a barrister. Member of the Military Council, IRB. Commander-in-Chief during the Rising.

  Pearse, William James (1881–1916). Born in Dublin, Ireland. Art and Drawing Master at Saint Enda’s. Noted sculptor; obtained a Distinction from the Metropolitan School of Art, Dublin.

  Plunkett, George Noble. Hereditary papal count, Director of the Museum of Science and Art, father of Joseph Plunkett

  Plunkett, George and Jack. Brothers of Joseph Plunkett

  Plunkett, Geraldine and Philomena. Sisters of Joseph Plunkett

  Plunkett, Joseph M
ary (1887–1916). Born in Dublin, Ireland. Poet, co-founder of the Irish Theatre with Edward Martyn, editor of the Irish Review. Member of the Military Council, IRB. Director of Military Operations during the Rising.

  Redmond, John. Leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party

  Rossa, Jeremiah O’Donovan (1831–1915). Fenian

  Ryan, Desmond (1893–1964). Former Saint Enda’s student and secretary to Patrick Pearse. Journalist and historian who subsequently wrote a number of books dealing with the Irish struggle for independence.

  Sheehy-Skeffington, Francis (1878–1916). Socialist, pacifist, feminist. Registrar of University College, Dublin.

  Walsh, William F. Archbishop of Dublin

  Yeats, William Butler. Poet and playwright, later winner of Nobel Prize for Literature

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one