Battle of Mount Street Bridge

The Battle of Mount Street Bridge was fought on 26 April 1916 between the British Army and Irish rebels during the Easter Rising. It took place in Dublin at the southern end of Mount Street Lower where it meets the Grand Canal.

Battle of Mount Street Bridge
Part of the Easter Rising
Soldiers inspecting a car on the bridge in May 1916
Date 26 April 1916 Location Mount Street Bridge, Dublin Result British garrison destroyed
Belligerents
Irish rebel forces: Irish Volunteers	British forces: British Army
Strength
17	1,750[1]
Casualties and losses
4 killed	216, including 28 killed

Background

On 24 April 1916, Easter Monday, after Éamon de Valera headed his Volunteers' contingent into Boland's Bakery, another group of 17 Volunteers was sent to secure the Dún Laoghaire road to stall anticipated British reinforcements. The 17 volunteers were distributed around Mount Street Bridge: 25 Northumberland Road was initially occupied by four Volunteers, although two were dismissed home for being too young; four Volunteers occupied the Parochial Hall, seven Volunteers held Clanwilliam House, and two were stationed in the Schoolhouse. On 26 April, a female dispatcher informed that nearly 2,000 British soldiers had landed at Dún Laoghaire and that the Robin Hood Battalion, the 7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, was heading towards them.^[2]

Battle

Clanwilliam Place, Mount Street, May 17 1916

The advancing British stopped at Carisbrook House and learned about the Volunteers' presence in the area, responding to sniper fire. The column came under fire from the two men in 25 Northumberland Road, and it took the British five hours of continued firing to dislodge them from the building. Volunteers in the other buildings nearby also shot at exposed British forces. The Volunteers held the bridge against British forces for nine hours. The battle resulted in the biggest losses to both the British Army and the rebels during the uprising; the Sherwood Foresters suffered 216 casualties, including 28 dead,^[3] while four Volunteers were killed in the action: Dick Murphy, George Reynolds, Michael Malone and Patrick Doyle.^[1]

In popular culture

The battle is depicted in the docudrama television series Insurrection.^[4]

See also

• Joe Clarke
• Louisa Nolan
• Patrick Whelan, killed at Boland's Mill during the battle

References

1. "Battle at the Bridge". RTÉ. 2021-04-02.
2. "Joe Clarke and the Battle of Mount Street Bridge". An Phoblacht. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
3. McGreevy, Ronan (26 April 2016). "Tribute to 1916 British soldiers removed in Dublin". The Irish Times.
4. Brennan, Cathal (18 November 2010). "A TV Pageant – The Golden Jubilee Commemorations of the 1916 Rising". The Irish Story. Retrieved 1 March 2016.