This year marks 106 years since the events of the Irish Easter Rising. For those with ancestors involved in the Rising or subsequent events, there are a number of family history records that you can use to trace their activities.
The Ancestry website (available for free in the Library building) has published two fantastic databases, Ireland, Courts Martial Files, 1916-1922 and Ireland, Intelligence Profiles, 1914-1922.
The Ireland Courts Martial files includes arrests that were made under Martial Law for treason, murder, conspiracy, and securing and publishing government information. There are approximately 2000 records of individuals, including evidence, statements and verdicts.
In the example below, you can see a witness testifying to Thomas J Clarke’s involvement with the rebels.
Ireland, Courts Martial Files, 1916-1922, Ancestry Library Edition
The Ireland, Intelligence Profile database 1914-1922 is another great source of information. Most of the records date from 1917, although some earlier records are included. Shown below is the the file of Kathleen Clarke (Thomas J Clarke’s widow), who played an active part in Ireland’s War of Independence.
Ireland, Intelligence Profile database 1914-1922, Ancestry Library Edition
The Findmypast website (available for free in the Library building) has also published a large collection of records relating to the Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence.
Their Easter Rising & Ireland Under Martial Law 1916-1921 database includes court martial registers, raid and search reports, civilians tried by court martial, interment camps and prison registers, courts of inquiry records, intelligence files on the Sinn Fein activists and more.
Over 70 raid and search reports are listed for Michael Collins alone, who was the Director of Intelligence for the Irish Republican Army.
Raid & Search reports, Dublin – Michael Collins 27 Oct 1920 WO 35/70/4, Findmypast
The Irish Military Archives is another fantastic resource. On their website you will find a number of resources including digitised military service pension records from 1916-1923. Included are pensions awarded to those involved in the Easter Rising and War of Independence or to their next of kin. In the document below, you can see the mother of Patrick Henry Pearse was awarded a pension, several years after her son’s execution.
Military Service Pension Collection, Irish Military Archives
Newspapers can be another great source of information. Try searching our Irish Newspaper Archive (available from home for Victorian residents) for articles relating to the Easter Rebellion.
Dublin After the Revolt May 8 1916 Cork Examiner, Irish Newspaper Archive
And finally the Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook, Easter 1916, which is available for free on Archive.org. This resource lists the names of people involved in the Easter Rebellion including casualties, prisoners, ambulance workers on duty that night and more.
If you would like to research the topic further, you may be interested in the Library’s online research guide Easter Rising, Dublin, 1916.
Further resources:
How to look for records of Ireland’s Easter Rising 1916 – National Archives UK
