Historical Collections Online
Search our Historical Collections Online, a sample of 10,000 artefacts from the National Museum of Ireland’s Historical, Military and Easter Week Collections, published as part of the Decade of Commemorations.
bayonet / 1916 Rising
Three foreign bayonets found by the British in a dump during Easter, 1916. The Volunteers used all kinds of foreign made bayonets during the Rising in addition to the home-made bayonets. A French sword bayonet was found, after great difficulty, to be suitable for attaching to the Mauser rifles...
bayonet / 1916 Rising
Three foreign bayonets found by the British in a dump during Easter, 1916. The Volunteers used all kinds of foreign made bayonets during the Rising in addition to the home-made bayonets. A French sword bayonet was found, after great difficulty, to be suitable for attaching to the Mauser rifles...
bayonet / 1916 Rising
Three foreign bayonets found by the British in a dump during Easter, 1916. The Volunteers used all kinds of foreign made bayonets during the Rising in addition to the home-made bayonets. A French sword bayonet was found, after great difficulty, to be suitable for attaching to the Mauser rifles...
relic / Edward Daly, 1916 Rising
Commandant Edward Daly's Irish Volunteer tunic button, given by him to a nun in the North Dublin Union. The nun had it inscribed and later presented it to his sister, Madge Daly. Brass coloured Irish Volunteer button, one inch in diameter with a harp in the centre but no I or V letters on either...
hat / Ned Daly, 1916
Hat worn by Commandant Ned Daly, 1916. Civilian type, black coloured felt material, with black band.
sign / G.P.O., 1916
Sign, reading 'Postal Telegraph Office', recovered from the ruins of the General Post Office after the 1916 Rising by Mrs Grace Gifford Plunkett. Iron plate, enamelled white inscribed black.
convict cap / Harry Boland, Dartmoor, 1916
Convict cap worn by Harry Boland in Dartmoor Prison while imprisoned after the 1916 Rising. Khaki cap, black prison number-badge with prisoner number q/90 in white.
uniform hat / Irish Citizen Army, 1916
Irish Citizen Army. Felt hat, greyish green, creased crown; pugri; silk, around; wide brim turned up left side and fastened with metal monogram badge - I.C.A. Irish Citizen Army hat, circa 1916.
flag / John Daly, Limerick
John Daly's flag, Limerick. Flag, green cloth 89 inches by 55 inches approximately, with a centre-piece consisting of harp with five strings, made up of green, white and yellow cloth. On one corner of flag is stitched a white envelope on which is handwritten in ink the following - 'This flag was...
trophy / Defence of Trinity, Cadet W.V. Seddall
1916 Rising Trinity College Dublin Defense Cup. Silver cup presented as a memorial of the defence of Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916. Presented to Cadet W.V. Seddall. Incised on front of cup is "Defence of T.C.D./Sinn Féin Rebellion/Easter 1916". Incised on back is "Cadet W.V. Seddall"....
painting / May Dawn, 1916
Framed oil painting entitled 'May Dawn' by Seán Keating P.R.H.A. Depicting an Irish Volunteer awaiting execution in Kilmainham Jail in May 1916. This painting was commissioned by Liam Gogan, then Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum, in 1952. The subject of the painting is Edward...
newspaper / Irish War News, No.1
Original copy of the 'Irish War News', 25th April 1916, Vol.1 No.1.
rosary beads / Sean Heuston, 1916
Rosary beads of Sean Heuston. Included by the Governor of Kilmainham Jail among some small things sent to Mrs Maria Heuston after 8 May 1916. Held by Mary (Mother Bernard) of Taylor's Still until her death, and then sent by the nuns of the monastery to Theresa, who held it until she died in August...
letter / Sister Anna Sproule, 1916 Rising
Letter on St. John’s Ambulance Brigade No 12 (Irish) District headed paper, from Deputy Commissioner J. Lumsden to Sister Anna Sproule, dated 15 July 1916, congratulating her on being awarded the Bronze Medal for gallantry. Part of the paperwork relating to the awarding of medals to Sister Anna...
tin can bomb / 1916 Rising
Home-made bomb, of the type used in the 1916 period. Bourneville chocolate tin (marked on bottom) filled with iron shrapnel fragments, which would also have co0ntained a black gunpowder. Top burst due to mis-firing.
ammunition / Home-made, 1916 Rising
Home-made grenade, fashioned from something like a section of iron piping or a large iron rivet, scored in sections on the outside. Hollow interior, with screw at either end, the base screw fixed and the top screw holding in place a fuse with a wooden plug. 1916 period.
notice / Public Notice Arms and Ammunition, 1916 Rising
Public Notice Re: Arms and Ammunition. Signed General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, General Commander in Chief, The Forces in Ireland, Headquarters Irish Command, dated 2nd May 1916. Printed by Powell Press, 22 Parliament Street, Dublin.
brief case / Thomas J. Clarke
Bag or briefcase, belonging to Thomas J. Clarke. Brown leather in snakeskin pattern with a brass alloy metal clasp. The remains of an adhesive sticker on the outide bodu with the number '...02'. On the base are pieces of red sealing or candle wax attached. Single handle. Clasp fixed in locked...
walking stick / Nationalist symbols
Walking stick carved along the shaft with Nationalist motifs and names. A sunburst over a harp over 'Erin' with reading down as stick is revolved to left - O'Connell, Butt, Parnell, Redmond, Biggar, Davitt, Devlin, Dillon, T.P. O'Connor, and Harrington. Shamrock sprays throughout. Probably...