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AFTER YEARS OF debate over exactly how the GPO can be used to remember the 1916 Rising, the result is really very impressive.
An Post’s €10 million GPO Witness History centre opens to the public on 29 March and media were given a quick preview in Dublin yesterday.
One of the first things that strikes you about the tour is just how big the GPO is.
Despite it being a working post office with people using it every day, it feels like there’s so much to it you haven’t seen before.
First opened in 1819, the GPO is one of the world’s oldest working post offices but the tour feels exceptionally new.
Before you’re led underground into the bowels of the building, above the stairs, you’ll see a large colour photograph that faces northwards over O’Connell Bridge towards what was Sackville Street back in 1916.
You’re told that this picture was taken the day before the Rising began and the bright sunshine of the day gives you a clear sense of a city unaware of what was to come.
As you enter the exhibition downstairs, there are a number of lifesize black and white cartoon drawings. They represent different political factions from the time, a nationalist, unionist, Home Ruler, suffragette and a republican.
It’s a feature that gives visitors to this permanent exhibition some background if they’re not familiar with the history of the time.
The tour itself is a mixture of original artifacts like, guns, medals and clothing as well as several banks of interactive touchscreen games.
Always conscious of the GPO’s own history, communications is a key part of the tour with some of the games based around Morse code and the printing of revolutionary newspapers.
https://vine.co/v/igvle6uWI2l
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an extraordinarily immersive semi-circular cinema screen that shows eyewitness views of fighting inside the GPO and elsewhere.
The experience feels like a cross between a 3D movie and a game of Call of Duty with the emphasis heavily focused on how the fighting unfolded.
It doesn’t hold back on the brutal nature of the fighting either with unarmed people being shot right on front of you.
https://vine.co/v/igre1OKdvUP
It’s not completely serious though, with some stereotypical British baddies adding an almost comedic element to it.
It does feel a lot like a video game, and was clearly designed that way with younger visitors in mind.
After the fun and graphics of the film, the tour takes a turn for the sombre as you move out of the main room to a memorial for all those who fought in and around the GPO.
The alphabetical list has more than 2,500 names and can be updated as more names emerge from the military archive.
But one of the most impressive parts of the tour is also the most simple. While many people may know about the courtyard in the centre of the GPO, standing in the newly refurbished yard gives visitors a chance for some quiet reflection.
The brickwork on the inside of the courtyard took seven months to restore and it shows.
Looking up at the white stone and The Spire it’s strangely quiet and you’d hardly believe you are only metres from O’Connell Street.
There’s also a touching memorial to the 40 children who died during the Rising, an aspect to the rebellion that Joe Duffy has been campaigning about for a long time.
The memorial consists of 40 pieces of black limestone that were taken from Jacobs’s biscuits factory. Itself one of the sites of Easter Rising fighting.
The exhibition was created by An Post and Shannon Heritage and details on bookings are available on its website.
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I’d rather watch the lovely girls competition 1996
@Eamonn McDermott:
the SYDNEY ROSE Aoife Butler could play sarah jessica parker in a SATC prequel
Rte wasting money on an extra host.
Cringeworthy
@Sat Nav Maps:
the best one seems to be the NEW YORK ROSE – Róisín Wiley
VP of National Sales at a consumer marketing company
RTE ticking the diversity box to get a woman to co-host. Waste of money, all they had to do was get Daithi to identify as a woman and get a few boxes ticked at the same time as saving money.
@Nick Cahill: Take your cue from Rte trying to get in the back door of Euro Vision failing all of the time never mind to getting on stage then there’s your answer for the Rose of Tralee in 2 word’s pathetic and hopeless
@Nick Cahill:
Dotty O’Shea
I purposely don’t have rte. I have no interest in globalist propaganda.
@James murphy: cool story bro, I bet you family love talking to you
@James murphy: … no point talking about friends lol
@James murphy: How do you not have RTE?
@James murphy: but you do have lots of time for the tin foil wearing narcissists
@Roj Blake: better than being a government cheerleader who swallows their crap on a daily basis.
@James murphy: ‘globalist propaganda’ lol, i’m looking at a program right now on rte teaching kids the alphabet …. so much propaganda hahahaha
@Keith Fay: A for Ally, B for BLM, C for Coming Out etc etc.
@Tom:
did you see the LONDON ROSE – Amy Gillen
she is very striking ..
Only thing its good for is for the local economy in tralee…..everything else includng the two cabbages of presenters are redundent
@Tom Newell: Please don’t insult cabbages lol…
Can we make sure the roses don’t get mugged and kicked in the face an inch close to death? Just that….this does tend to happen lately, especially in Dublin.
@Keth Tgi: chill out they are in Kerry
@Margaret Deacon: maybe the words “of Tralee” were too subtle a hint of the location of this competition?
@Seamus Enright: That wasn’t going to stop him randomly conflating two completely unrelated issues in an effort to sound edgy.
@Keth Tgi: Bit of a stretch there,trying to include dublin in this one,but on your other point I agree,I hope no harm comes to anyone involved.
@Keth Tgi:
if they get attacked in kerry there will be a queue .. to shake hands with their attacker
Never watched it and never will .
It’s definitely not a beauty contest going by the pic, the best is a 4
@John Jon: if your going to create a new profile name John John at least be a bit more original…let the trolling commence…
@John Jon: never was a beauty contest, personality all the way
@Clare Power: There’s a lot of Snowflake accounts on here It’s probably they can say what they like with no accountability what so ever. I remember Journal.ie some years ago all these snowflake accounts were to be got rid of. But I suppose if they did that at that time there would have been very few of us left .
@John Jon: You must be a ride then John?
@Terry Fagan: Yep
@John Jon: it’s always ugly men who say things like this
lmfao
@Terry Fagan: ya wouldn’t ride him into battle
@Clare Power: That lot have so many accounts even they can’t keep up.
I’ll be busy, defragmenting my hard drive.
@Eddie Taylor: Hope it’s not too sore afterwards.
Outdated tripe
They give out about being looked at it the street but still want a lovely girls competition and us all to watch…double standards..pot kettle bla
@Derek O Gorman: who gives out about being looked at in the street? I presume that’s what you’re trying to say? Are you being ignored? Could you do with an aul wink & a whistle?
@Derek O Gorman: In fairness I’ve never heard of a Rose of Tralee contestant giving out about being looked at in the street… Seems a bit counter intuitive, considering they presumably want fame…
Looks like all paper bag jobs.
To qualify for the competition, you must be a primary school teacher, a non-drinker, be living away from home, describe what being Irish means to them, what the GAA means to them, what their faith means to them, like tea, mention their favourite Claddagh ring, their noble deeds in life, teir boyfriends/fiancés, their Mammies and Daddies. Non-Irish Roses are further obligated to explain where ‘their people’ are from, prove their Irishness and say hello to their distant cousins. “A big hello to the McGintys in Ennis!” Then perform a talent, like a song, a dance, a rap … that kind of thing. To present the show, you must pronounce the word steak like ‘shteak’.
Kathryn Thomas —– why does RTE hate its viewers so much …..
Is that still on christ!! It is so cringeworthy
If Daithí’s little fantasy comes through it will become a “spot the Tranny” competition :-)
The ROT is the perpetration of a lie. A place that no longer exists that was sold away a long time ago. It, and its ilk are essentially a painkiller, a bottle of vodka to quell the masses from realising the dilemma they and their descendants are subject to.
You ask this every year and the answer is NO everytime. I Can’t Stand this Muck!!!
I used to love watching it as a kid. its now ruined though with having to be all PC and all that. I wish though RTE would provide audio description even to describe the dresses, not being able to see it anymore has taken the fun out of it, It was an Irish institution and I was one of its residents.
@Jacqueline MCBrearty: How is it ‘all PC and all that’ now??
@Jacqueline MCBrearty: you’re gas. I hope we’ll be hearing more from you
I genuinely didn’t know it was on this week until now. To be fair it’s always a bit of a laugh and Daithí makes it entertaining. Not able to watch it this year though.
@Daithí O’Gruagáin: ( Daithi entertaining)????
For F sake is it any wonder Rte is the way it is when they can pay the likes of this fella Daithi big money ? (better not use that word) I have another word rubbish.
Would rather watch the 2014 All Ireland final replay
If you’re watching the rose of Tralee .You need to get a real life.Or a hobby
Why? To see the 1950s again. Backward thinking program
My middle aged hubby watches it, should I be concerned?
@stella Ormes: only for the spark that has died between you
@stella Ormes: Only if the box of tissues mysteriously goes missing.
John John; And the 4 would be for Daithi.
I would sooner cut off both my legs than listen or watch Thomas, who is being foisted on at every opportunity by the c0##upt rte.
@Liam o Connor:
CHICAGO ROSE – Kelley Leyden
28 years old
Police Officer
Yes. I want to see all of the lovely bottoms.
@I’m Far Right: Be careful you will be called out by the snow—— sisterhood.
@I’m Far Right:
the WESTERN CANADA ROSE – Prusko looks like a trans
I don’t watch RTE
Do people still watch that cringe fest
Two terrible people hosting it – I would prefer to be crucified
@John Manahan:
Antrim rose Mollie O’Brien
22 years old
million dollar smile
currently in her fourth year studying Dentistry
I’d rather watch grass growing than that talentless cattle show. (This is only my own commented feeling and not meant to provoke rabid response).
A publicity shot for the rose of TRALEE taken in Dublin. Laughable.
@Andy Gibson:
go to dublin these days and you get attacked .. they queue up to shake hands with s*** who commit attacks in kerry
At least the contestants are all Irish.
Of all the things the Irish copy from abroad, this is the worst.
Keth Tgi. Maybe you could lend us a few cops from the arse of hole Kerry to patrol are streets they might even get a smell of Sam.
@Paddy Geoghegan:
kerry pee pull queue up to shake hands with sex offenders
Like the “Late Late Show”, the Rose of Tralee should only be seen on “Reeling in the Years”. The girls have lost the innocent charm of years ago and the interviews are now rehearsed to within an inch of their lives. Bring back the girls who only wanted to help the poor children in Africa
Ofc,you all do, just the luvly gurls competition ain’t what it used be. i cri everytiem for late 90′s/early noughties festival.
Definitely not . Rte never on in mine. Programmes are dated . Why pay tv licence in this country is beyond me especially with what’s going on in Rte.
2014 first gay rose
2018 first black rose
2023 first trans rose? first non binary rose?
@TomDuffy: 2025 first AI rose?
@Mies Valkenburg: First blow-up rose, when???
Why can’t they just show Reeling in the Years on a loop instead.
The rose of Tralee is a tourist campaign for Kerry.
Taxpayers in the rest of the country should not be forced to pay for this cringeworthy travesty.
In the bin with the Puck.
Do the wokes not go nuts about this sort of thing Ted?
Source: TheJournal.ie" title="">
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