Approaching Ireland by boat Arthur Geary got the impression that Dublin was burning. He describes the difficulties he experienced as a British soldier during the Rising.
When Arthur Geary and his fellow British soldiers were mobilised they were not told at first where they were being sent. The assumption was that they were headed for France and were surprised to find themselves heading for Ireland. Not feeling well Arthur Geary was up on deck with some other troops as they approached the Irish coast.
We assumed we were approaching Ireland and looking to the right I would have said Dublin was on fire.
Not long after landing in Kingstown Arthur Geary saw British soldiers who had been wounded in the attack at Mount Street Bridge carried back. It did not take long to realise that the training they had undergone was geared for trench warfare and not for street fighting. Many of those they were fighting were not in uniform and he describes the constant feeling of living on your nerves never knowing what was coming next. Initially he remembers thinking we are firing on fellow "Britishers".
Initially the reaction from civilians was very positive towards the recently arrived British soldiers. Arthur Geary describes being brought meals from local citizens as they stood guard at barricades. Later after the executions of the leaders of the Rising had been executed the mood had changed. When stationed in Fermoy Geary he says that the British soldiers were hated.
Arthur Geary was interviewed during the production of 'Ireland A Television History' on 26 June 1979
| Title: | Ireland A Television History Arthur Geary |
| Clip Duration: | 00:15:03 |
| Material Type: | Video |
| Clip Title: | "Looking To The Right I Would Have Said Dublin Was On Fire" |
| 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, British Army, Soldiers, |
| Coverage: | Ireland, Dublin |
| Genre: | Factual |
| Topic: | Wars and Conflict |
| Provider: | RTÉ |
| Contributor(s): | Robert Kee (Interviewer) |
| Publisher: | RTÉ |
| Production Year: | 1979 |
| Country of Production: | Ireland |
| Original Identifier: | DX20/00915 |
| 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: | part/extract |
| Colour: | Colour |
| Sound: | Mono |
| Aspect Ratio: | 4:3 |
| Language: | English (eng) |
| Original Language: | English (eng) |
