Photograhs taken at Collins Barracks Military Museum, Dublin, Ireland. Massive museum and collection, these photographs represent a fraction of what is on display. Among the items I was unable to photograph were the Rising 1916 Exhibit, the Irish War of Independence, Irish Civil War exhibits. Highlights for visitors include a very rare German Army World War one Irish regiment uniform. Also many Fusilliers and Inniskillings items, MG 108's and other field weapons.
Collection of photographs showing the historic Kilmainham Jail in Dublin Ireland. This prison opened it’s doors in 1796 and closed in 1924. The period of time during which Kilmainham Jail was in active use saw the Wolfe Tone United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798, the rebellion of 1803 under Robert Emmet, the Great Famine of 1845 – 1848 (which reduced the population of the country by 2 million dead and emigrated), The Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 and the 1867 I.R.B. Fenian rising. The prison was most famously kept busy throughout the period of the Easter Rising 1916 and War of Independence 1919-1921 followed by the Irish Civil War 1921-1923. Famous prisoners include Robert Emett (taken out to be hanged and beheaded), Charles Stewart Parnell (the uncrowned King of Ireland), The ‘invinvibles’ (Fenian group of Phoenix Park killings fame). More famously from the 1916 Rising ; Patrick Pearse (Commander in Chief of the Irish forces in the G.P.O. during the Easter 1916 Rising, executed on 3 May 1916), Thomas James Clarke (executed on 3 May 1916) , Thomas MacDonagh (executed on 3 May 1916), Joseph Mary Plunkett (married Grace Gifford while in Kilmainham Gaol and was executed the following morning 4th May 1916), William Pearse (executed on 4 May 1916), Edward Daly (executed on 4 May 1916), Michael O’Hanrahan (executed 4 May 1916), John MacBride (executed on 5 May 1916), Michael Mallin (executed on 8 May 1916), Seán Heuston (executed on 8 May 1916), Con Colbert (executed 8 May 1916), Éamonn Ceannt (executed on 8 May 1916), Seán MacDiarmada, (executed on 12 May 1916), James Connolly (Unable to stand to during his execution due to wounds received during the Rising - executed while sitting down on 12 May 1916), He was the last of the leaders to be executed (Thomas Kent was executed in Cork and Roger Casement in London). Eamon DeValera was a Kilmainham prisoner who escaped execution and later led Ireland through the formative years including the emergency period, writing the Irish Constitution in 1937. This prison has also featured in several movies including the 1967 Michael Caine ‘The Italian Job’, Jim Sheridan’s Guildford Four film ‘In the name of the Father’ and the Neil Jordan 1996 film ‘Michael Collins’. Pictures in this gallery include the sculpted doorway, cells, chapel, wings, landings, open areas and British and later Free State execution yards. Among the museum exhibits photographed here are prison art from Frongoch in Wales (where many 1916 Rebels were deported to after Kilmainham and then Stafford Jail), prison art from Kilmainham, autograph books, Weapons including Thompson sub-machine gun, Irish independence Medals, 1916 Veteran armbands, paintings of Pádraig Pearse and Sean MacDiarmada, photographs, documents, caricatures, pro and anti treaty propaganda, Irish Civil War period mass/death cards along with 1966 Rising anniversary materials and ‘Kilmainham Restoration’ campaign paraphernalia. Featured at the end of the Kilmainham section are the executed leader’s art exhibit & pictures of Independence era Dublin locations.
German Military Cemetery/ Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof Glencree Wicklow Ireland. 134 persons are buried here including Luftwaffe & Kriegsmarine of which 53 are Identified and 28 unknown. These were in 59 Graves across 15 counties of Ireland until being moved to Glencree . Included also are the victims of the Arandora Star, German civilian detainees sank by U-Boat in 1940 off Tory Island. 6 WWI German POW's who died in a british POW camp are also buried here as is Dr Hermann Görtz who was one of a series of parachutists (including Irish born Sicherheitsdienst and Abwehr agents) to parachute into Ireland during WWII on espionage & IRA related activities. In the summer of 1940, Görtz parachuted into Ballivor, County Meath, Ireland he remained at large for a total of eighteen months. On his arrest Görtz was interned first at Mountjoy Prison then later Athlone Military barracks with 9 others until the end of the war. In 1947 under the threat of return to Germany and Soviet captivity he took his life by cyanide capsule. There is also a single Belgian grave 'Ein Belgischer Kriegstoter' marked 132.
The Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland
At the end of World War One a town in Northern France donated a statue of the Sacred Heart to the parish of Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to commemorate the many local Irishmen who had fought and died in Flanders during World War One. Irishmen who fought in the British Army during World War One did so for a wide variety of reasons, reasons which included the promise of Home Rule as a limited form of Irish Independence. While World War One raged on the continent the Irish Rising of 1916 took place in Ireland and led to the Irish War of Independence against Britain. Returning Irishmen in British Army uniform were now treated with suspicion while a new war was fought on Irish soil, waged by the Irish Republican Army against the forces of the British crown: Black and Tans, Auxilliaries, British Army and Royal Irish Constabulary. Of these returning Irishmen some joined the IRA, some fought again for the British forces, while most simply hid their medals and got on with their lives. In the new political climate the subject of commemoration of their sacrifice became contentious. The statue was offered by France and refused by the Christian Brothers and also the local parish church. Finally accepted by a sister in the Dominican Convent the statue was placed in an Oratory. Sister M.Concepta Lynch hand painted the wall behind the statue and the results were so impressive that she was asked to complete the rest of the Oratory, which she proceeded to do from 1920 until 1936 (in the style of the Gaelic revival, using the symbols of Early Irish Christian Art). The stained glass windows were provided by the famous Hary Clarke Studio of Dublin. This building is now preserved within an outer shell and is open to the public for a very limited period of time each year.
Photographs taken at the Imperial War Museum, London. Focusing on their impressive World War One and World War Two exhibits. Not as much Irish WWI regiment information as I would have liked considering an estimated 230,000 Irishmen fought in british uniforms. Nor is there much reference to the over 100,000 Irishmen who fought for the allies in WW2.
A collection of World war 2 and Cold war related travel pictures from Berlin. Included is the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, the Brandenburg Gate, Soviet War memorial (known by many women in postwar Berlin as 'the tomb of the unknown rapist'), Siegassaule, Reichstag, Humboldt memorial to the nazi book burnings of 25,000 books on May 10th 1933 (less than the allies burned during the postwar de-nazification), Former Luftwaffe Air Ministry (now a finance ministry), location of Fuhrer Bunker, memorial to communist and socialist Reichstag deputies who died in concentration camps, jewish memorial, Berliner Dom. Also one or two pictures of the Berlin Wall, check point charlie & a cold war watchtower & the TV tower, Stasi museum and modern Reichstag interior, also some modern Berlin architecture (Sony Centre at Potsdammer Platz).
Selection of photographs taken in Normandy, France. Included are the town of Avranches & it's Patton and Liberation Memorial along with it's famous Thunderbolt Sherman tank. St Mere Eglise (featured in 'The Longest Day' movie about D-Day). The St Mere Eglise US Airborne Museum. Followed by Utah Beach blockhouses, the Leclerc memorial & Utah D-Day Museum. Continuing on down to Caen, & the Caen Memorial Museum. Finishing with the St James Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial including unknown graves alongside the graves of some men awarded the US Medal of Honour.
A small (39 picture) collection of photographs showing various French memorials of the Great War and World War 2 from Nantes (22 October 1941 Memorial), Paimpol, Isle De Breihat, Kerity & Caen
Series of 55 Photographs taken in Australia showing several military & general history locations. Including the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, the Irish Famine memorial, Elizabeth Bay House, Port Douglas Great War Memorial, the HMAS Vampire & an enigma coding machine along with a Russian Space capsule from the Science Museum. Also the restored ship the 'James Craig'.
Photographs from the Salute Military show in Swords, Dublin. Pictured are Irish Defence Forces military vehicles alongside military collectibles, de-activated weaponry from World War One to present. Also shown are some RUC & british army vehicles & weaponry. Re-enactment groups shown cover Roman, Viking, World War One and World War two.
