"Each Man Got To Fire One Shot With The Howth Gun, That Was Our Training In The Howth Gun"
Joe Doolan was a Sergeant, First Aid section, 'A' Company, 4th Battalion, Dublin Brigade at the time of the Easter Rising. He fought in the South Dublin Union under the command of Éamonn Ceannt, an area in which some of the fiercest fighting of the Rising took place.
Describing his Commanding Officer Doolan says that Ceannt had 'a very nice, loveable disposition but when stirred he was very stern.' Ceannt swore Doolan into the IRB in late 1914. Doolan recalls how the company would drill firstly in Camden Street and later in Larkfield, Kimmage.
In 1915 a First Aid Section was set up and after taking an exam Doolan was appointed Sergeant, First Aid Section, 'A' Company. In light of this promotion he gave lectures to all the companies in the 4th Battalion. He also describes how the company drilled and his battalion's involvement in the Howth gun running. He recalls their confrontation with the police and military on the Malahide Road on their return into the city.
As a member of 'A' Company Doolan should have fought in Jameson's Distillery, Marrowbone Lane during the Rising. Owing to the confusion caused by the countermanding order he was asked by Ceannt to gather the groups from the 4th Battalion at their various mobilisation points. As a result he was late getting to Emerald Square, where his company were to meet and so made his way to the South Dublin Union and fought there.
The men in the South Dublin Union were divided into three separate groups. One was at the back gate, Rialto gate, another section was in the Night Nursing Home... and the third was in the boardroom.
The South Dublin Union garrison like all the Volunteers had limited ammunition and Doolan remembers that they could not shoot indiscriminately.
They couldn't fire unless they were dead sure of their mark.
On Monday night and each evening after Ceannt, who was stationed in the Nurses Home called all the men together and they recited the Rosary and he informed them of the days events.
Thursday saw the heaviest fighting in the Union. However Friday and Saturday it seems that the British had changed tactics and were concentrating their attack in the city centre. Finally the order to surrender came and the men were marched from the South Dublin Union to Marrowbone Lane where 'A' Company fell in behind the South Dublin Union garrison and were marched to Ross Road/Bride Street where Ceannt officially surrendered to the British.
Joe Doolan was arrested and later sent to Knutsford Prison, Wormwood Scrubbs and eventually interned in Frongoch, Wales. He was released in July and on his return to Ireland he rejoined his company. During the War of Independence he transferred to the South Dublin Section of the Irish Citizen Army and he fought on the anti-Treaty side during the Irish Civil War.
Joe Doolan died in 1974, he was ninety-one years old.
Joe Doolan was interviewed for the RTÉ Television project 'Portraits 1916' on 21 November 1965.
Title: |
Portraits 1916 Joseph Doolan |
Clip Duration: |
00:41:32 |
Clip Title: |
"Each Man Got To Fire One Shot With The Howth Gun, That Was Our Training In The Howth Gun" |
Series Title: |
Portraits 1916 |
Information: |
Portraits 1916 is a collection of interviews made for television recording the personal memories of women and men who took part in the Easter Rising. In the early 1960s Telefís Éireann (RTÉ Television) began to record interviews with people who had taken part in the Easter Rising and the War of Independence. Individuals were interviewed under a working title of 'The Survivors'. The first of these interviews were organised by Jack White and recorded at the television studios in Donnybrook on 31 August 1964. Further recordings were organised by James Plunkett with the same working title of 'The Survivors' although none of these interviews were broadcast as full programmes. In 1965 meetings were held to discuss what Telefís Éireann should do to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Veterans continued to be interviewed despite the fact that no decision had been made as to what type of programme, if any they could be used in. James Plunkett did not see 'The Survivors' recordings working as individual programmes. In April 1965 producer Aindras O Gallchoir took over the project continuing to organise recordings with the initial intention of using the interviews to create one programme. By September Aindras O Gallchoir decided to produce seven thirty minute documentaries on the leaders of the Rising but many more people needed to be interviewed. This new project had the working titles of 'Portraits 1916' and 'Seven Signatories'. With very little time over thirty people were interviewed for this series. The interviews took place mainly in studio between October 1965 and January 1966, with the exception of Kathleen Clarke and Leslie Bean de Barra. These interviews would eventually form the basis for the series 'On Behalf of the Provisional Government' which was first broadcast in 1966. The interviews recorded form an extensive record of the events and the people involved in the Easter Rising, and were never broadcast in their entirety. Presented here under the title of 'Portraits 1916' are the personal recollections of men and women who took part in or witnessed the events of the Easter Rising. |
Local Keywords: |
1916, Easter 1916, Easter Rising, Éamonn Ceannt, 4th Battalion, IRB, South Dublin Union, Howth Gun Running |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Wars and Conflict |
Contributor(s): |
Aindrias O Gallchoir (Producer) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
Production Year: |
1965 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
94D00025 |
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. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
whole |
Colour: |
Black and White |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
4:3 |
Language: |
English (eng) |
