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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.
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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Leading up to the rising, Ireland had “the highest rates in Europe of maternal and infant mortality; only four out of 10 children surviving to the age of 10″.
With respect to those children as well as the men and women (both Irish and British) that lost their lives that week, could we not have a memorial to the thousands of kids who died of poverty in colonial Dublin, not just those children that died that week?
Absolute nonsense. Another one of these ‘facts’ trotted out by ignorant Shinners. There is no evidence whatsoever to substantiate such a ridiculous claim, in fact the opposite is the case. ‘But even in the early decades of the twentieth century, childbirth was life-threatening for many mothers. Geographical location and social class were major determining factors in mortality. Irish infant mortality rates as a whole were fairly low by European standards, but babies born in urban areas were almost twice as vulnerable as those born in the country: the urban infant mortality rate was 150 per 1,000 live births, rural mortality was 74. A baby born into the family of a labourer was seventeen times more likely to die within a year than the child of a professional’.http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Ireland_society__economy_1870-1914
This is only one snippet, but the information is available to anybody who cares to do a little research.
Yeah, and isn’t Ireland still the safest places to have children in Europe! *irony*
You lost me with your angry shinner retort. Check your facts.
Looks great but should have been open earlier why wait until it is so crowded as it will be on that day?
But it’s going to be a permanent exhibition i think , plenty of time to see it
My mother was in the GPO a few weeks ago, as they were preparing for this exhibition, and was told there will be a charge to see it, I believe about €10 but I could be wrong. Where are the profits from this going?
Thought you were gonna say your mother was in the GPO in 1916.
Michael, As a matter of interest, did you ever say to anyone ” that looks great, well done”………. I thought not
Rusty, you are right there is a €10 charge and more for families. I think it’s a disgrace as this is a historical 1916 event and should be free to all Irish Citizens and visitors.
Nice salute to our 1916 heroes. Every hero who gave their life to rid Ireland of an evil occupation before and after 1916 should also proudly be remembered this year.
That is something that has always bothered me. Why does the Nation not reflect and commemorate the recent hunger strikers of the 70′s & 80′s. They are no different than the hero’s of 1916. They gave their lives to the ideal of a free Ireland and like the leaders of 1916 they knew that they were signing their own death warrant when they undertook their actions in a cause they truly believed in . We are happy to lay poppy wreaths at the graves of soldiers who fought in WW1 and rightly so as we should respect all the dead but why not lay at wreath at the memorial to the hunger strikers in Glasnevin….. ………
Looks really good.
Tenner a ticket… At least it won’t be busy for those who do visit
Should be free.
A lot of southern unionist here! But I am happy with the commemoration and i plan to go to it
Our government would be better if they planned for the future and stop borrowing money to spend on the past like this. Children’s hospitals and maternity hospitals plus our homeless crises would be better served if they invested the money in useful projects.
Wise words.
How can the sanctity of life be respected when death and destruction is celebrated?
Commemoration is not the same as celebration.
Not celebrated, remembered.
Says Leo who probably wears a poppy every year to remember death and destruction..
Where did you get the idea that it’s the oldest post office in the World? Did you even Google that before publishing?
“It’s not completely serious though, with some stereotypical British baddies adding an almost comedic element to it.”
LMAO
How does that work then? Hundreds of David Cameron facsimiles all voiced by Jason Isaacs?
We have to know our past to get on with the future
This is a historical public 1916 exhibition at the GPO, and should be free of charge entry to Irish citizens to ensure most if not all of its citziens, get to view The exhibit should not be viewed as a money making exercise as it is not a commercial enterprise (or is it?).
Charging us to see an major part of our heritage and histroy is shameful and decision to over charge should be overturned I was looking forward to viewiing with family and friends, but not now until the addmission if free of charge. This is not about getting a freebie, its about our rights as Irish citizens to view our past without having to pay and fill other peoples pockets.
Seamus many other free 1916 events and free museums around Dublin and the country that include 1916 and much more of Irish history. The money will most likely go to the running of An Post, a service will is loosing money but many people still use. why do you feel the need to kick up a fuse about a charge. people seem to complain about everything nowadays. if you dont want to pay the €10 to go view it, then don’t go. have seen you leave 2 or 3 comment on this article moaning about this and just thought someone had to reply to you. enjoy your Easter weekend. :))))))))
The exhibit is run by a group called Shannon Heritage, nothing to do with An Post except for the location.
Source: TheJournal.ie" title="">
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