Kilmainham Tales

A bi-lingual history of the final battle of the Easter Rising in the words of those who were there.

This pamphlet is essential reading for all who wish to understand the significance of Moore Street and the surrounding area, and the bravery of those who fought and died there

In her long struggle for independence, Ireland had one vital weapon that the British did not possess and, as the shots of her battle for Independence rang out, it proved to be one that the the rebel forces perfected with deadly consequences for the ‘ancient enemy’. Eventually Ireland acquired almost 15,000 of these weapons. Some of them fell into Britain’s or her agents’ hands, some remained neutral, but the vast majority were in Irish Nationalist hands throughout this long struggle and, without them, Ireland would not be the free, independent, state she is today. This initially unknown, unrecognised and unique weapon was the Public House, and its ammunition consisted of (a) the publican, (b) the building itself where the licensee traded and (c) the bar staff who maintained this weapon. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that without the public house Ireland could well be still be part of the British Empire. In this, the first book to identify the pivotal role of the Irish pub, and to give an overview of the role of alcohol in the war for Irish independence, author and historian Eddie Bohan traces the vital place of the Irish pub as a meeting place, a safe house and even banker for the Irish revolution. This is a book to savour, one the reader will return to again and again, especially now as the public house is under siege once again by a foreign enemy.