Éamonn Ceannt (1881-1916) was an Irish revolutionary, one of 16 men executed as a leader of the1916 Easter Rising. He is probably the least known of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Creation of the Irish Free State. But he was one of the men who rose up against the British Empire, and advocated the idea of a free Ireland. A dream that unfortunately led to his downfall, but which also made him immortal, thanks to his courage and bravery. A look back at the destiny of a man who gave his all for his country… and who is still praised by modern society.
Éamonn Ceannt was born as Edward Thomas Kent (not to be confused with Thomas Kent, another rebel who was shot dead in Cork) in County Galway in 1881. His family soon moved to Dublin, where he enjoyed a peaceful childhood.
He studied at the Christian Brothers’ School on North Richmond Street.
From then on, the young man joined the Gaelic League. He discovers a real passion for the uilleann pipe, the Irish bagpipe, and practices regularly with this instrument.
He quickly forged strong convictions about Ireland’s destiny. Attached to its history and culture, it firmly rejects the British presence on Irish soil and abhors the oppression and discrimination to which the Irish are subjected.
He was immersed in Irish nationalist circles, eventually joining the Irish Republican Brotherhood and then the Irish Volunteers, an Irish brigade aspiring to independence.
He then became commander of Company A, Fourth Battalion.
He then took an active part in organizing an uprising, scheduled for April 24, 1916. The objective was clear: the rebels were to seize the strongholds of Dublin (including the famous GPO, the Irish Post Office), proclaim the birth of the Republic of Ireland, and put an end to the English yoke on Irish territory.
On the morning of the uprising, Éamonn’s wife, Áine, is said to have recounted the last conversation between father and son: ” Turning to Ronan, who was watching us, he kissed him and said in Irish: ‘Goodbye Ronan.’ ‘Goodbye Dad.’ ‘And you won’t take care of your mother? “I will, Dad. ” ”
The Insurrection begins. Éamonn Ceannt is based at the South Dublin Union.
But the rebel soon ran into trouble. His second-in-command, Cathal Brugha, ends up seriously wounded… and Ceannt is desperately short of men. The latter are outnumbered, and are struggling to cope with the British snipers, who are shooting at the rebels en masse.
The Battle of the Southern Union was a massacre. One of the most terrible of the Insurrection. Although Ceannt and his men show their bravery right up to the last moment, they are forced to surrender. Ceannt marches his men to St. Patrick’s garden and orders the surrender.
Upon his surrender, Ceannt is said to have told a British officer:
You’d be surprised at how few of us there were.
He was then imprisoned in Richmond Barracks. His trial was a complete farce. In court, the accusations are riddled with errors and inaccuracies. He is accused of having led the Insurrection at Jacob’s Biscuit Factory when he was actually at the Southern Union… His witnesses are executed before they can speak… A sham trial.
The sentence is pronounced: Éamonn Ceannt is to be executed.
Shortly before his death, he wrote these lines:
I leave this advice to other Irish revolutionaries who might follow the same path as I: Never deal with the enemy, never surrender to him, but fight to the end. I see nothing gained, except a grave disaster caused by the capitulation, which marked the end of the Irish uprising of 1916… the enemy had not a single generous thought for those who resisted his forces during a glorious week.
In his last letter to his wife, he adds:
My dearest wife Áine… not wife but widow before these lines reach you. I’m here without hope of this world, without fear, calmly waiting for the end. . . What can I say? I die nobly for the freedom of Ireland. Men and women alike will be vying to shake your hand. Be proud of me as I am and as I have always been of you.
Éamonn Ceannt was shot on May 8, 1916 between 3:45 and 4:05 am at Kilmainham Gaol.
The British didn’t have the courtesy to tell Ceannt’s wife that he’d been executed. She went to Church Street Priory to find out what had happened to her husband. “He’s gone to heaven,” she was told.
Since then, Éamonn Ceannt has been a leading figure in the Easter Rising, and a symbol of Irish nationalism. Although less well known than other leaders of the movement, such as Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera, Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, he was nonetheless admired and respected.
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