Bertie Offiler, Sherwood Foresters describes the intense battle at Northumberland Road during the Rising. He was later chosen to guard some of the condemned leaders in Kilmainham Gaol.
Bertie Offiler was a member of the Sherwood Foresters. He was one of thousands of recruits that arrived in Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire) on 26 April to put down the Rising. His unit suffered heavy losses at Northumberland Road and Mount Street bridge. The military were taken completely by surprise when the Volunteers opened fire from their positions in No. 25 Northumberland Road, the Parochial Hall and Clanwilliam House. Remembering the battle Offiler simply says,
It was a bit rough... We lost an awful lot of men, an awful lot. I was one of the lucky ones.
Offiler was later stationed in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Headquarters of the British Forces which was very close to both Richmond Barracks and Kilmainham Gaol. Soldiers from the Sherwood's were chosen to act as guards on those leaders who had been sentenced to death. The firing squads who carried out the executions were also made up from the Sherwood Foresters.
Offiler was chosen for the former and amongst those he guarded were Countess Markievicz and Joseph Plunkett whom he was in charge of at the time of his wedding to Grace Gifford in Kilmainham Gaol. Plunkett was executed a few hours after his wedding and this seemed to have a impact on Offiler.
It seemed a terrible thing to do.
Offiler did not take part in the executions. He did not volunteer to take part and did not want to take part but admits that if he was ordered to do it he would have had no choice but to follow orders.
Bertie Offiler was interviewed for the television series 'Ireland A Television History', 24 September 1979.
Title: |
Ireland A Television History Bertie Offiler |
Clip Duration: |
00:01:24 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
"I Was One Of The Lucky Ones" |
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: |
1916, Easter Rising, Easter 1916, Rising, British Army, British Soldiers, Northumberland Road, Kilmainham |
Coverage: |
Ireland, Dublin |
Topic: |
Wars and Conflict |
Contributor(s): |
Robert Kee (Interviewer) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
Production Year: |
1979 |
Country of Production: |
England |
Original Identifier: |
DF429 |
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) |
