Rebels had a wide mix of weapons

The rebels used a mix of weapons, some more effective than others. These included German Mauser rifles and pistols which had been landed at Howth, Co Dublin, and Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, in 1914, British and Italian rifles, single and double-barrelled shotguns and a small number of revolvers.

The German guns were especially antiquated and dangerous. Many rebels had never held or fired one before. Some describe being knocked across the room or even knocked unconscious by the recoil. These rifles also caused terrible injuries to their targets, which has been cited as one of the reasons why the rebels were so unpopular in the immediate aftermath.

Hand-made grenades were fashioned but proved to be unreliable, with many of them failing to explode.

The rebels also began the Rising with an assortment of other weapons, such as pickaxes, knives, crowbars, sledgehammers and clubs. Some even used pikes, just as had the rebels in 1798. They were not alone. When news of the Rising reached Trinity College, its chief steward passed out pikes confiscated during the 1867 Fenian rising.