Volunteer Richard Gogan talks about joining the Irish Volunteers and his role in the Easter Rising.
Richard 'Dick' Gogan joined the Irish Volunteers on their formation in November 1913. He was a member of 'B' Company, 1st Battalion, Dublin Brigade. He was one of the Guard of Honour at the funeral of veteran Fenian O'Donovan Rossa in August 1915, and was present when Patrick Pearse gave his famous speech at the graveside. He recalls that Pearse 'was a very fine orator, very impressive'.
Richard was only sixteen years old when he took part in the Easter Rising. He fought at Cabra Bridge and then made his way to the General Post Office where he was posted on the top floor of the building. On Friday 28 April the Headquarters garrison were forced to evacuate the GPO and made their way to Moore Street. Richard was chosen to act as a stretcher bearer and helped carry James Connolly who had been shot in the ankle.
While we were passing down Moore Lane we came under gun fire from the British troops who were based just opposite the Rotunda Hospital.
On reaching Moore Street the Volunteers tunnelled through the houses the length of the street. After the surrender of the Headquarters garrison on Saturday 29 April they were held overnight in the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital. Describing the march up to Richmond Barracks the next morning Richard recalls that,
The people were throwing cabbage stalks and bottles, anything t hey could lay their hands on at us.
On arrival at the barracks the men were divided into groups and held in separate rooms. Gogan was held in the same room as Seán MacDiarmada. After roughly two weeks Richard and many of the younger boys were released from Richmond Barracks on account of their age.
During the War of Independence Richard Gogan was a dispatch carrier between the Dublin and Meath Brigades of the IRA. His house in Parnell Street was used as an arms dump by the IRA and he was responsible for the distribution and maintenance of the Company's cache of weapons.
Richard Gogan fought with the anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War. He was a founding member of Fianna Fáil and served as a TD for twenty-two years. Richard Gogan died in 1982, he was eighty-two years old.
Richard Gogan was interviewed during the production of 'Ireland A Television History' in 1979.
| Title: | Ireland A Television History Richard Gogan |
| Clip Duration: | 00:09:25 |
| Clip Title: | "Being So Young They Didn't Mind Me Very Much" |
| Series Title: | Ireland A Television History Interviews |
| Information: | Ireland A Television History was a 13 part series written and presented by Robert Kee looking at the complexities of Irish history. The series chronicles Ireland's development from pre-Christian times to the 1980s, with a specific emphasis on the creation of the modern independent Republic and the roots of the Troubles. 'Ireland a Television History', a BBC production was broadcast on RTÉ and BBC at the same time. In an article for the RTÉ Guide, Kee was asked is the series aimed at a British audience? He replied, "No it's aimed at those (mainly in Britain) who are less familiar with the subject than they ought to be; and at those (in Ireland, North and South) who think they know but don't". |
| Local Keywords: | Easter Rising, Easter 1916, 1916, Rising, Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, GPO, Richmond Barracks |
| Coverage: | Ireland, Dublin |
| Genre: | Factual |
| Topic: | Wars and Conflict |
| Provider: | RTÉ |
| Contributor(s): | Robert Kee (Interviewer) |
| Publisher: | RTÉ |
| Production Year: | 1979 |
| Country of Production: | England |
| Original Identifier: | PXD/204903 |
| IPR Restrictions: | Rights Reserved - Free Access |
| Rights, Terms and Conditions: | Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives.
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| Item Type: | part/extract |
| Colour: | Colour |
| Sound: | Mono |
| Aspect Ratio: | 4:3 |
| Language: | English (eng) |
