Come Here To Me!

I came across this last night at The Abbey, having gone to see Translations. Excellent if you’re wondering. You’re running out of the on that one. The memorial seems to be a replacement to the plaque which was to be found at the Abbey for many years. I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who knows just how long this memorial has been in place.

There are seven names to be found on the memorial, including Sean Connolly, the first casualty of the republican side during the uprising.

Undoubtedly, there are names missing from the memorial. Writing in the Dublin Historical Record in 1999, James Wren noted that: ‘Although Edward Keegan’s name does not appear on the Abbey Theatre’s 1916 plaque he was an early member of the National Players and as a Volunteer he fought in the 1916 Rising’.

Sean Connolly on the plaque is a character we’ve featured on Come Here To Me before, for example back in April of last year with the unveiling of a plaque on his family home.

Lady Gregory wrote of the talented actor following the rebellion in poem:

“O branch that withered without age!
Would we could see you where you’re missed
Step airy on the Abbey stage
Play there ‘The Revolutionist’
Or fill with laughter pit and stalls
With Bartley Fallon’s croak and cry
What led you to those castle walls?
We mourn you Sean Connolly”

A fascinating account of Arthur Shields time with the National Theatre can be found here, at the Abbey archives.

There are 1916 memorials to be found on occasion in the oddest of places, for example in the bar of Wynn’s Hotel where one finds a memorial marking the spot where Cumann na mBan were founded.

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Temple Bar, earlier today. Fess up!

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Edward Carson: Hurler, Gaeilgeoir ,Dubliner.

Come Here To Me has always aimed to cover the broadest aspects of Dublin’s social and political history possible, featuring historical pieces as diverse as the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland plaque on Dawson Street and the plaque marking the home of Edward Carson on Harcourt Street. The history of Dublin is all the more remarkable of course when one considers the political journey she has been on, once regarded as the second city of the British empire, she now carries the nickname ‘The City Which Fought An Empire’.

Working in the tourism business, with Historical Insights tours of Dublin, I always try capture the tug-of-war at the heart of Irish political history in tours. Beginnng in Trinity, one of the first things visitors see on a tour of Dublin is the always-overlooked war memorial that is today home to the Post-Graduate Reading Room. Likewise, the old Parliament across the street tells a remarkable story of a very British city, with the lion and the unicorn proudly gazing over College Green, and who could forget tales of the Guinness family and their confrontations with Daniel O’Connell? Below the romantic and nationalist ‘Carolls Gift Shop’ side of tourism, our political history is a complex one.

A friend who also works in the same line of work told me she recently encountered a rather unusual walking tour on the streets of the capital, in the form of Dublin Royal and Loyal Tours.

Checking them out online out of curiousity, I came across their site:

Dublin Loyal Guided Tours can provide your Club, School, College, Lodge, with a memorable day out in Dublin, see Dublin’s Royal and Loyal passed. Old Orange Grand Lodge building, (Pernell Sq) Wellington monument, National War Memorial, Royal Hospital, Dublin Castle and Parliament House.

The tour certainly looks like an unusual one, and turns the spotlight onto the ‘other side’ of our history. While many believed the Dublin Rangers Supporters Club website which proclaimed “The members of Dublin Loyal RSC realise how desparate you all are to learn the words of Follow, Follow and The Billy Boys in Irish”(!) may have looked like more than a tad tongue in cheek to many of us,this looks like a more serious attempt at shining a light on the otherside of our identity.

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I won’t pretend to be anything but sickened. This club is bigger and more important than any player. Fault rests with two sides in this case in my opinion, and I’ll perhaps attempt a longer post on the matter at a later date when the shock subsides.

“Following receipt of a fax from the owners of St Patrick’s Athletic Football Club early this morning, we have considered its contents carefully. The faxed offer is the same offer that we rejected last night in our meeting with the club. Having discussed it at length, we are unanimous that the offer does not meet our minimum requirements.

“The club will receive many multiples of the amounts we are seeking in prize money so payment to us would still leave the club in profit following our European campaign.

“However, we have made it very clear to the board that our very modest requests would have to be agreed prior to tonight’s match; this issue has been ongoing for the past month.

“It is, therefore, with huge regret that we must inform you that we will not be participating in the fixture this evening. This is a unanimous decision of all the players and has not been reached lightly.

“We realise this is a devastating blow for the fans and the league. It is equally so for us as players but we cannot continue to be treated with disrespect by the club.”

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Some of the statues.

Welcome HomeLess has arrived in Dublin. It is an exhibition of sculputures of homeless people, which has toured around Europe and arrives here thanks to Focus Ireland playing a partner-role in the project.

I spotted two today while in the city. One is outside the Bull and Castle pub, and another next to City Hall. There are thirteen sculptures int he Welcome Homeless touring exhibition. Keep an eye out for them.

More information here.

Welcome HomeLess is a different and vivid way of letting the citizens of Europe know just how the people without homes are living. The art exhibition is named Welcome HomeLess, because 13 sculptures portraying homeless people will tour through and be welcomed in the European countries, just like many European homeless cross borders every day in search of happiness.

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