On the afternoon of Sunday, 24th April 2016, two Dublin City Council plaques commemorating garrisons in the 1916 Easter Rising were unveiled in the city by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh.
The first of these plaques commemorates the Marrowbone Lane Garrison and was unveiled at the Eir Building, Marrowbone Lane, Dublin 8.
Locate this plaque on Google maps.
This ceremony was attended by relatives of members of the Irish Volunteer’s 4th Battalion, who occupied the South Dublin Union and surrounding buildings throughout the Rising. Also in attendance was a National Colour Party from the Irish Defence Forces.
Some of the fiercest close quarter fighting of the Rising took place at the South Dublin Union, which at the time was a sprawling complex of hospitals and workhouses. Led by Eamonn Ceannt, who would later be executed at Kilmainham Gaol, and his second-in-command Cathal Brugha, the Volunteers sought to hinder the movements of British soldiers from nearby military barracks and Kingsbridge (Heuston) Station. On Easter Monday and Thursday intense fighting took place in the vicinity which saw seven rebels, at least four civilians and more than twenty British forces killed.
Those wishing to learn more about the South Dublin Union and life of the commandant of the 4th Battalion of the Irish Volunteers should consult Mary Gallagher’s biography 16 Lives: Eamonn Ceannt (2014).
Submitted by Historian in Residence James Curry.