1916, The Easter Rising and the Making of Ireland

Delve into history and discover the origins of modern Ireland

(4.9)

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From $364 privately

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: History, Four Days in Dublin
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Dublin

Photos & Highlights

Experience an insider's view of Ireland's history and culture
Led by a historian
Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and General Post Office

Tour Description

The Easter Rising in 1916—when Irish republicans launched an armed insurrection to end English rule—was the crucible from which the modern Irish state emerged and looms large in the collective memory of the nation. In this 3-hour Easter Rising Tour with a local historian, we'll dive into this moment and visit several key sites in Dublin that are related to it, including Dublin Castle, the former Houses of Parliament, and the Dublin General Post Office.

A vibrant experience of the history and culture of Dublin, enabling us to not only to understand but also to feel the ambiguities that have fed life on the Liffey for generations.

Easter Rising 1916

We'll begin our Easter Rising Tour at the former Houses of Parliament with an introduction to the complex history of the 1916 Easter Rising—the main actors, the context, and the key events. As we move through the space, we'll pay particular attention to the Act of Union in 1800, which abolished the Irish Parliament and created the opposing concepts of ‘Unionism’ and ‘Nationalism’ that defined Irish politics for the next 100 years. Our guide, a trained historian and lecturer, will take us through the period in a dynamic, conversational way, answering our questions and helping us establish the right framework for understanding the last 200 years of political history in Dublin.

Dublin Castle

We will then move to Dublin Castle and dive into our discussion about the events of the Rising specifically. In 1916 the Castle operated as place of recuperation for soldiers injured in the Great War. It was also the place where the Rebellion’s first casualties lost their lives. We'll talk about divisions in the city of Dublin, but also within families. As we explore the grounds of the Castle, our guide will take us back 100 years as we discuss daily life during the period of the Rising, the loss of lives among men, women and children as well as the social unrest that touched every aspect of people's lives.

From here, we'll move up to Grattan Bridge and Millennium Bridge, which are key vantage points to understand how the war unfolded in the city from a military standpoint. As we admire the River Liffrey, we'll discuss the location of the various garrisons along the river and the military engagements that took place along the quayside.

Hungry? Try our Dublin Food Tour.

Easter Rising Tour

Finally, we will alight to the Dublin General Post Office, which served as headquarters for the uprising's leaders. Although the interior has been destroyed, the facade remains. Here we'll talk a bit about the Rising's leadership and how the net tightened on the rebels through Easter week during the British artillery bombardment of the city. We'll pay particular attention to Oliver Sheppard’s bronze casting of the mythological hero Cu Chulainn and also how W.B. Yeats’ poem ‘The Statues’ tells the story of how this building became a shrine to Irish nationalism.

Take Aways

We'll emerge with a sharper picture of what happened during the 1916 Rising how to has shaped Irish national identity in the twenty-first century.

This is a good tour to pair with our introductory Dublin Walking Tour.

FAQ

Where do we start? Where does it end? We meet near Trinity College and end near the Dublin General Post Office. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point.

Do we go inside the venues? We go inside the former Houses of Parliament, and the Dublin General Post Office. We'll walk through the grounds of Dublin Castle and see it from the exterior.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Hogan

Hogan is a National Tour Guide, covering the entire island of Ireland. He is a 7th generation Dubliner, and he is passionate about sharing his love of his native place with visitors to 'Dublin's fair city'! Hogan's special interests are Archaeology, History and Genealogy Tours. Dublin is Ireland in microcosm, with a wealth of museums, art galleries, theatres, pubs specializing in traditional music and restaurants serving the finest in fresh Irish produce. Dublin has been the setting for many of the most pivotal moments in Irish history, and every street has a story to tell.

John

John Ducie is a native of Dublin with a passion for his city and explaining both it and Ireland to visitors. He has had a life long interest in cultural and natural heritage of all kinds. John retired as Properties and Conservation Manager of the National Trust for Ireland in 2012 to devote himself to a full-time career as a docent. Originally qualifying in Horticulture from Ireland's premier horticultural institute The National Botanic Gardens he also has an Hons. Bachelor of Business degree and a National University of Ireland Professional Certificate in Genealogy and Family History In the past he has chaired the Heritage Gardens and Designed Landscapes Committee for ten years, has served as Vice Chairman of The National Trust for Ireland, President of the European Network of National Heritage Organisations, a member of the Executive Committee of the International National Trusts Organisation and the Council of Europa Nostra (the pan European Heritage Alliance).

Arran

Arran Henderson graduated Art History from Oxford Brooks and from Fine Art from Dublin's National College of Art and Design. He also holds a Masters Degree from the Dublin Institute of Technology and has written on various aspects of art history, including his well known Hidden Dublin series, for various papers and journals such as The Irish Arts Review. Arran has led tours for the leading cultural agencies in Ireland's capital, including the Irish Architecture Foundation and Irish Georgian Society. He specializes in Fine Art interpretation, especially at the National Gallery of Ireland and, separately, on reading and revealing Dublin and Irish history, from Viking and Medieval through Georgian and Victorian, seen through the street-scape, topography and architecture of Dublin.

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57 Reviews – (4.9)

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Excellent experience. Jennifer is an outstanding historian and narrator. We would’ve enjoyed even more time with her.

David

Aug. 18, 2022

Jenifer did a lovely job of both walking through the 1916 events but also giving a real in depth explanation of what lead up to those events. She gave a great tour!

Kate

Apr. 25, 2022

Jennifer was extremely knowledgeable and flexible to modify the tour for our wishes.

Michelle

Feb. 16, 2020

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