Street Stories 1916.

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The annual Stoneybatter & Smithfield People’s History Project festival takes place from October 23rd-25th and marks the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising.

Those familiar with the Project will know they run a very successful and acclaimed series of talks, walks, films and events based around the history of the people of Dublin 7 and its near neighbours. Last year’s festival opened with David Jazay‘s project Bargaintown which last week saw it’s full Dublin premiere in the IFI to a packed house.

This year’s headliners include historians Liz Gillis, Lorcan Collins, Shane Kenna, Mary McAuliffe, Las Fallon and Joe Connell.

Here is the story behind the press cutting above taken from their Facebook event page:

Good Friday 1916 – Dublin man with fully loaded revolver and ‘under the influence of drink’ threatens to ‘blow the brains out’ of three British soldiers who refused to take a drink with him!

A court report from Easter Saturday 1916 states that the night before, a man armed with a fully loaded revolver in a Dublin bar threatened three British soldiers if they did not have a drink with him he would, ”blow their brains out”.

Police were called to the bar on Dame Street and it was alleged that John O’Neill from Foley Street in the north inner city, was found to be ‘under the influence of drink’ and in possession of a fully loaded revolver and twenty rounds of ammunition. Also found in his possession was a membership card for the Irish Volunteers.

O’Neill claimed to have left the Volunteers the previous month and that the revolver belonged to his father who had been a ‘free labourer’ during the 1913 Lockout! During the Lockout employers had used their positions as Justices of the Peace to issue firearms licences to scabs. In December 1913 a sixteen year old girl Alice Brady, a member of the Irish Women’s Workers Union, was shot dead by a scab near Pearse Street.

John O’Neill was remanded until Wednesday 26th April.The Rising had commenced on Monday 24th April and it is not clear if his case proceeded.

To find out more about the project visit their Facebook page.

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