Modern Irish History Tour: The 1916 Easter Rising

Delve into history and discover the origins of modern Ireland
From US$373 privately
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Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Dublin Castle
  • Trinity College
  • General Post Office
Photos & Highlights
  • Experience an insider's view of Ireland's history and culture
  • Led by a historian
Select a date
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
76 Reviews (4.87)

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Kevin provided context and insight into the development of the 1916 Easter Rising. I could not recommend more highly.
Hogan was a fantastic guide. Expert knowledge and great storytelling. The whole family was enthralled.
Jennifer was an amazingly erudite, kind, and generous tour guide. She took some time at the beginning to get to know each of us so she could customize her presentation to our interests. She gave us a sweeping account of Irish history, starting with the Viking settlers. By providing historical depth and detail to her storytelling she provided a rich context for understanding the 1916 Easter Rising and it’s consequences for the next 100 years. She picked interesting sites to see that both situated her talk and were architecturally significant. It was such a pleasure to listen to her tell Ireland’s story and get to know her on a personal level. She was absolutely marvelous and made our trip to Dublin more exciting and rich by a good measure.