The O'Rahilly

Michael Joseph O’Rahilly and the Easter Rising 1916

Apr 25, 2009 Joseph Allen McCullough

A loyal Irish Volunteer, The O'Rahilly tried to prevent the Easter Rising, he then died fighting in it.

The Irish Volunteers

By 1916, The Irish Volunteers militia were a familiar sight in Dublin. Led by Professor Eoin MacNeill, they supported the idea of Home Rule, whereby Ireland would become an independent part of the British Empire. However, the group had secretly been co-opted by the militant Irish Republican Brotherhood who plotted a military revolution.

Michael Joseph O’Rahilly

Born to a well-to-do family in 1875, Michael Joseph O’Rahilly was a popular and outgoing man who demanded that everyone refer to him as ‘The O’Rahilly’. He eventually became a journalist and an Irish nationalist. He joined the Gaelic League and soon became editor of the league’s journal, An Claidheamh Soluis. In 1913 he became one of the founding members of the Irish Volunteers. Despite being given the position of “Director of Arms”, he had no knowledge or role in the planning of the Easter Rising.

The Easter Crisis

On April 22, 1916, Eoin MacNeill discovered the conspiracy within in his own organization, the day before a planned revolt. MacNeill did everything he could to stop the revolt, going so far as placing an announcement in the newspaper saying that all Irish Volunteer gatherings for Easter were cancelled. As one of the few senior members of the organization that he could trust, MacNeill employed The O’Rahilly to run messages to try and prevent the rising.

The Easter Rising 1916

Despite Eoin MacNeill’s efforts, the rising was only delayed for a day. On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, over one thousand Irishmen took up arms against the British government and seized various posts around the city of Dublin. Despite his misgivings and his loyalty to MacNeill, The O’Rahilly could not sit by and watch as the Irish Volunteers were destroyed. He went to the General Post Office where the rebels had made their headquarters and joined the fight.

The rising lasted for five long days and nights of intense street fighting and raging fires. When the famous James Connolly was wounded during the fighting, The O’Rahilly took over military command in the General Post Office. When it was decided that the position had become untenable, it was The O’Rahilly who led the Volunteers out.

Unfortunately, by that time, the rebels were surrounded. As he marched the Volunteers through the streets, they came straight into a British firing line. The O’Rahilly was shot twice. Though mortally wounded, he managed to crawl to a sheltered spot and scribble out a last note to his wife. He sent his love and said “It was a good fight anyhow”.

For more information on Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, see Winding the Clock: O’Rahilly and the 1916 Rising by Aodogan O’Rahilly, Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1991.

The copyright of the article The O'Rahilly in UK/Irish History is owned by Joseph Allen McCullough. Permission to republish The O'Rahilly in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.