A rebel patchwork: the Rising outside Dublin

There was confusion in the ranks of the Irish Volunteers around the country, following the countermanding order issued by Eoin MacNeill. The order was carried to a number of locations by The O'Rahilly who convinced leading Volunteers that it was genuine. Nonetheless, a number of units did make an attempt to join in the Rising.

GALWAY
In Co Galway up to 1,000 Volunteers went into action at the behest of Liam Mellows. He set up headquarters near Craughwell and from there launched attacks on a number of RIC barracks. Travelling by car, horse and cart and on horseback, the Volunteers arrived at Clarinbridge and Oranmore, stormed the police barracks and captured them. They were forced to retreat by the arrival of RIC reinforcements backed up by the military. In a separate incident in Carnmore an RIC man was shot dead by a small party of rebels. Mellows retreated to Athenry. He held most of his force together until it became clear that the Rising had failed in the rest of the country. Mellows went into hiding and his followers went home. None of the rebels was killed in the fighting. One policemen died and three others were wounded.

WEXFORD
A force of 600 Volunteers led by Robert Brennan, Seamus Doyle and JR Etchingham seized control of Enniscorthy on Thursday of Easter week. Although the town was occupied after a surprise attack, the RIC barracks was held by a police inspector and five constables while an RIC sergeant and one constable prevented the rebels from taking over a bank in the town.

The Volunteers established a strong position on Vinegar Hill, overlooking the town. The railway line was cut and men dispatched to Gorey and Ferns. The government responded by sending a force of more than 1,000 men to retake Enniscorthy and the rebels retired to their positions on Vinegar Hill. Before hostilities could develop the news of the Dublin surrender arrived, but the Volunteers refused to believe it. The army commander, Col FA French, was a Wexford man and in order to avoid bloodshed he offered a safe conduct for the Wexford leaders so that they could go to Dublin and hear of the surrender directly from Pearse. There were no fatalities.

CORK
The countermanding order caused confusion in Cork. Although the Volunteers mobilised they did not proceed with the planned Rising as the government forces were alerted by the action in Dublin. After the intervention of the Catholic Bishop of Cork the Volunteers agreed to hand over their arms to the Lord Mayor for safe keeping. During a security operation after the Rising had ended a part of the RIC surrounded a house at Castlelyons owned by the Kent family, who were prominent members of the Volunteers. A gun battle ensued in which Richard Kent and an RIC constable were killed and a number of policemen wounded. In the aftermath Thomas Kent was court-martialled and executed.

TIPPERARY
At Lisvernane, near Tipperary town, two policemen were shot dead attempting to arrest a Volunteer, Michael O'Callaghan. There was confusion among the Volunteers all week, with some of them, including Seán Treacy, urging action while others waited to see what would happen in Dublin. There was no general rising of Volunteers in the county.

LOUTH
On Easter Monday a group of Louth Volunteers under Seán MacEntee mobilised in Dundalk and set off towards Dublin. At Castlebellingham they encountered a number of policemen and captured them, along with an army officer. In a confusing incident a Volunteer discharged a shot which wounded the officer and killed one of the policemen, Constable Charles McGee.