A magnificent statue at St Michan’s Park opposite the Little Green Street Gallery caught my eye recently. The statue stands within a park which was once the location of Newgate Prison, which the statue tells us was “associated in dark and evil days with the doing to death of confessors of Irish liberty, who gave their lives to vindicate their country’s right to national independence.”
Around the monument, the faces of figures associated with the 1798 republican insurection are to be seen. Lord Edward Fitzgerald can be seen in the front of the monument, while the Brothers Sheares are found on each side. Lord Edward died of gunshout wounds at the Newgate Prison as the United Irishmen rebellion broke out, and today his body is to be found in Saint Werburgh’s Church. It’s a great irony that Major Henry C. Sirr, who led the arrest party to capture Fitzgerald, is buried in the grounds of that same historic church.
Henry and John Sheares are perhaps not as widely remembered today as Fitzgerald, though they are fascinating characters in their own right. The brothers, sons of a Parliamentarian, had witnessed the radical changes to society brought by the French revolution firsthand and were enthusiastic members of the United Irishmen. They were executed n July 14th 1798, as the rebellion raged, having been betrayed by spies inside the movement. The pikes featured have of course come to symbolise the 1798 uprising in Irish popular history.
The statue of Erin on the monument is notable for its nationalistic features. She is shown for example next to a Wolfhound, and a Celtic Cross is visible alongside her. She clutches a wreath. The monument was begin in 1898 and completed and unveiled in 1903. Today, it sits rather oddly it should be said in the centre of a playground, and for a statue only a minutes walk from Capel Street it is perhaps one many Dubliners are unaware of.
I used to be a sales rep in Dublin, how did I miss this? I am very grateful for your post, an amazing story, always wondered where Newgate was. Yes, the contrast between playground and statue is immense. Thanks.
The coffins of the Shears brothers, along with their death sentence, are in the vaults of Michans Protestant church in Church St. They burned their innards before their eyes. Behind the statue to the right just beyond the special criminal court is the debtors prison left to rack and ruin.
The hanging jib for Newgate Gaol was at first floor level over the door making the hanging a public spectacle (it was free to air but you might still need a box if there was a big crowd).
great article……….. i was aware of the sheares brothers through history classes as i went to school in the area……….people should go and see the vaults in st.michans….fascinating……….st. michans is one of the places associated with the whereabouts of robert emmetts remains…………so far inconslusive
I’ll have to look this up later. I’m wondering if that was the location of Newgate prison. Opposite the statue is an very old doorway that I was told years ago was Newgate prions.
Nope I wus wrong. The 1818 and 1836 maps both put Newgate on area crossed by a diagonal from Balls Lane to the corner of Little Britain street.
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee327/Falconer1st/Old%20Dublin/NewgateGaol1836.jpg?t=1334773835
Edward Fitzgerald made a big deal of renounceing his title. i accept the tag lord edward Fitgerald is a popular tag to indentify him and it is a part od dublin folk memory with a pub and such named after him but not sure its what he would have wanted. if the lord tag is ment as a sign of respect can we change it for citizen or something that captures what he was about. seems odd that this is how he was remembered. wondered before was it a misfortunate ironic twist or was someone getting a dig in when they where renameing the street etc. i’ve no evidence of either but think theres loads of stuff that would suggest his opinion on the matter.
“Irishmen, Countrymen, it is Edward FitzGerald’s sister who addresses you: it is a woman but that woman is his sister: she would therefore die for you as he did. I don’t mean to remind you of what he did for you. ‘Twas no more than his duty. Without ambition he resigned every blessing this world could afford to be of use to you, to his Countrymen whom he loved better than himself, but in this he did no more than his duty; he was a Paddy and no more; he desired no other title than this”
Bourke, Angela. “The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing,” p. 59. NYU Press, 2002 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qZ6W1LiIyYYC&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=Irishmen,+Countrymen,+it+is+Edward+FitzGerald's+sister+who+addresses+you:+it+is+a+woman+but+that+woman+is+his+sister:+she+would+therefore+die+for+you+as+he+did.+I+don't+mean+to+remind+you+of+what+he+did+for+you.+'Twas+no+more+than+his+duty.+Without+ambition+he+resigned+every+blessing+this+world+could+afford+to+be+of+use+to+you,+to+his+Countrymen+whom+he+loved+better+than+himself,+but+in+this+he+did+no+more+than+his+duty;+he+was+a+Paddy+and+no+more;+he+desired+no+other+title+than+thi&source=bl&ots=FyZmrLCn0D&sig=kP9dDPf8sgIm7PfUP6fYCQ2I9GY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iRKPT9j9Aoe2hQej6NCFCw&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Irishmen%2C%20Countrymen%2C%20it%20is%20Edward%20FitzGerald's%20sister%20who%20addresses%20you%3A%20it%20is%20a%20woman%20but%20that%20woman%20is%20his%20sister%3A%20she%20would%20therefore%20die%20for%20you%20as%20he%20did.%20I%20don't%20mean%20to%20remind%20you%20of%20what%20he%20did%20for%20you.%20'Twas%20no%20more%20than%20his%20duty.%20Without%20ambition%20he%20resigned%20every%20blessing%20this%20world%20could%20afford%20to%20be%20of%20use%20to%20you%2C%20to%20his%20Countrymen%20whom%20he%20loved%20better%20than%20himself%2C%20but%20in%20this%20he%20did%20no%20more%20than%20his%20duty%3B%20he%20was%20a%20Paddy%20and%20no%20more%3B%20he%20desired%20no%20other%20title%20than%20thi&f=false
Very good point James which I hadn’t considered, thanks for that comment.
It’s also possible he was just a fuckin’ eejit who didn’t get on with his da and went revolutionary just to get back at him. Those less well off were only so because he had what they wanted. He tossed his advantages away like an immature brat full of self righteous indignation. I’d imagine someone like him looked like a right gobshite to people who’d have given away one of their children just to have the rest of the family eat for one night at the table he turned his back on.
very possible, his da died when he was 11 though and was out of the picture as indicated by his possession of the title. possible the idea’s where ‘trendy’ for the time. he was in france during the early years of the revolution where he renounced his title. point for me though is he done it. my understanding of a ‘trendy’ idea would be talking up an idea but not living it. by living an idea there are consequence’s which for Fitzgerald as you point out meant rejecting the privileges he or his class in no way earned and also ultimately meant his life.
your dismissing him for rejecting a system you seem to have acknowledged as unjust and if that works for you good luck i don’t get it but there is another point of view.
dfallon. sorry it wasn’t a criticism of you or the article which was v good. i went of on a bit of a tangent on the ‘lord’ title being used in the second paragraph. it was a very small part of the overall article which i should have acknowledged. its more the general concencous about using the ‘lord’ title that bugs me.
James, no worries at all! I noticed a book on Edward Fitzgerald with the title ‘The Citizen Lord’ today, by pure chance.
Perhaps a bit like Sir Casement, Irish nationalists have made a decision to hold on to Lord!
General Humbert’s invasion
Jonathan North
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The James Fullam mentioned in this article was one of two of our family members in the Longford Militia. He was from Granard and he was to switch sides and he left the British insprired Longford Milita and join the Irish Volunteers of Wolf Theobald Tone.
He was later following the Defeat at Ballinamuck, County Longford, captured taken to Trinity College Dublin and held capitve pending his execution for Treason against the British Crown in the New Gate Prison (“Priosiún an Gheata Nua”) in
‘Little Green’ (St. Michan’s Park), Dublin.
There is now a childrens’ playground on the site of former gaol. In the centre there is a memorial which is said to be the site of the Gallows where the Irish Rebels of 1798 were executed. I believe the James Fullam refered to here was thus executed on those long ago Gallows of New Gate Prison.
my first ancestor in AUstralia spent some time inNewgate being arrested in leadup to rebellion. name was Richard Byrne
gary porter gporter@platinumhg.com.au