Hidden at the wall by Nassau Street by the (sometimes open) gate to the street above, is this excellent plaque.
Another gem few Dubs, including Trinity students, seem aware of. Of course Trinity College Dublin played a central role in the supression of the rebellion of 1916, with the Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook (A PDF of which we recently linked to here) noting that
On Saturday, 5th August 1916, in the Provost’s gardens of Trinity College, a presentation from the citizens of Dublin to commemorate the gallant conduct of the Officers Training Corps during the rebellion was made.
“AC Smith (Hexbridge)” is listed among Hussars killed during the rebellion, or as a result of wounds sustained during the Rising.
I came across this by accident last summer. Very well hidden behind that tree!
I await the day that Trinity College Dublin will erect a monument to somebody who dies fighting for Irish freedom rather than for British subjugation of Ireland. Ah well, what else can one expect from a sectarian pig but a sectarian grunt.
I propose a statue of Wolfe Tone for the frontsquare 😀
Dear Mr an tSíoda, the only mention of sectarianism in this thread has come from you. So I suggest you wear the well deserved title of “sectarian pig”, although it seems you already do – and proudly so. For my part I would say there are thousands of memorials to innocent young men and women in this country who have been pointlessly slaughtered. May I suggest you look in Omagh and Monaghan to start with? You can puff your chest out with pride as you stand at the Omagh Memorial. The Enniskillen one isn’t far away either so you can enhance your feeling of superiority while you’re there.
Me. I’m more of an average Irishman. I feel sorrow for all victims of tragedy, let them be from the Lusitania, the Rising or the Stardust Fire. I don’t care for politics. It’s killed too many people pointlessly in our wee country, no matter how puffed up the “heroes” of either side disagree.
As for the monument in question. A little correction. It wasn’t presented by the people of Dublin as the information says. The original plaque was paid for by subscriptions from the Trinity College Officer Training Corps. The new memorial was paid for by subscriptions from the Queen’s Royal Hussars and veterans of the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars of which I am one. I organised the replacement and ordered the new plaque from the stonemason. I was also there on the day of the unveiling of the new memorial in the company of men from the Queen’s Royal Hussars and Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars up to the rank of Brigadier, along with Irish army veterans as well as many of the staff of Trinity. We all enjoyed many drinks afterwards in a nearby hotel where the Regimental Association paid out 900 Euro for the free bar before we opened our wallets to end the night off. It was a fabulous evening and no sight or sound of of any sectarian pigs anywhere.
Very well said.
I remember the old plaque – I’m unsure whether it was already damaged in the 80’s or whether the damage was caused in the 90’s or later.
What happened to it?
It went to the Irish National Museum at Collins Barracks to become part of the Irish Soldier Through the Years exhibition. Or at least that’s what I arranged.
[…] common around Dublin. What made this one different was that this young man was a British soldier Pte. Arthur Smith a Hussar from Hexham. I felt then, and still feel that this is the right thing to […]