1916 plaque unveiled at Sean McDermott Street

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr, today unveiled a plaque commemorating the men, women and young people who served with the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) during the revolutionary period, on the front of Lourdes Parish Schools in Sean McDermott Street, Dublin.

The ICA Re-enactment Group led a march from Liberty Hall by SIPTU activists, members of the local community and school children to the unveiling site.

Addressing the sizeable crowd who came to view the unveiling, SIPTU Dublin District Council member, Des Derwin, said: “During 2016, the SIPTU Dublin District Council has unveiled a series of plaques to commemorate the working class men, women and young people who served in the Irish Citizen Army in the areas where they lived.”

He added: “The area around Sean McDermott Street provided many of those who served with the Irish Citizen Army and it is very fitting that a plaque is located in the heart of this community.”

Lord Mayor Carr, said: “I believe that if there is one clear political lesson which can be drawn from the history of the Irish Citizen Army it is that the people of inner city Dublin can have a decisive influence on their own future, and indeed that of the wider country, when organised within their communities and alongside their trade unions.”

The crowd was also addressed by Rutland National School Principal, Niamh Murray, and Vincent Poole, a member of the Poole family, five of whose members served with the ICA. The plaque was formally unveiled by Vincent Poole and the Lord Mayor.

The event was organised by the SIPTU Dublin District Council which has unveiled ten other plaques around Dublin in areas where sections of the ICA were recruited. The final plaque in the series will be unveiled on Aungier Street, Dublin 2, during December.