Cork groups plan practice run at 1916 Rising re-enactments ahead of centenary

Re-enactments of historical events associated with the Easter 1916 Rising in Cork are being planned for this year as part of preparations for a more extensive programme of events in the city and county to mark the 100th anniversary of the rebellion next year.

More than 100 people attended a meeting at Kilmurry Museum in Co Cork at the weekend to discuss how the county should remember its involvement in 1916. Local historical groups outlined plans to commemorate events this year as a precursor to next year's official commemorations.

The 1916 Rising in Cork saw the mobilisation of 1,000 Irish Volunteers by Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, with some 400 men marching west to Macroom to take delivery of German weapons from the Aud, which was due to land the arms at Fenit in Co Kerry.

Mixed messages

After receiving mixed messages from Dublin about the rebellion being cancelled, MacCurtain decided on Easter Sunday evening to send his men home, but when word came that the rising had started on Monday, volunteers occupied the Volunteer Hall on Sheares Street in the city.

A standoff between the volunteers and British forces lasted a week before ending peacefully, but fighting broke out in Castlelyons near Fermoy. It was here that the Kent brothers resisted an attempt by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) to arrest them, resulting in the death of Richard Kent and the later execution of Thomas Kent.

Anxious

According to

Gabriel Doherty

of the history department at UCC, who organised the Kilmurry meeting, local groups are anxious to commemorate the general mobilisation of volunteers in Cork, the march to Kilmurry and the fight at Castlelyons, in which RIC Constable

William Rowe

was fatally wounded.

“We had a lot of suggestions during the meeting, which lasted over two hours, but several groups outlined plans to stage re-enactments this year to lay down a marker for the official commemorations organised by the local authorities in 2016,” said Mr Doherty.