The O’Rahilly: A Secret History of the Rebellion of 1916

by Aodogan O’Rahilly

The only leader of the 1916 Rising to be killed in action, Michael O’Rahilly died in a Dublin laneway after leading a charge against a British barricade in Moore Street. A letter to his wife, written during his last moments and pierced by the fatal bullet, was found in his breast pocket.
The O’Rahilly, as he became known, was the prime mover in the formation of the Irish Volunteers and its director of arms, organizing the purchase and delivery of the Howth rifles in July 1914. He was Pearse’s aide-de-camp in the General Post Office during Easter Week and became commander of the garrison after Connolly was wounded.

Genres: Biography

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Aodogán was born in Englad in 1904, to Micheal O'Rahilly and Nannie Brown. His father was a revolutionary in Ireland at the time and was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers, under Eoin McNeil. His father, known by his moniker 'The O'Rahilly' died in action during the 1916 Rising in Dublin, the only Rebel leader to do so. Following his fathers death, Aodogán O'Rahilly joined the Irregulars during the Irish Civil War.
He studied Engineering in University College Dublin, graduating in 1922. He was one of the first involved in the creation of the state own company Bord na Móna. Aodogán married Irish-American, Marion O'Connor and set up several buisness endevours in Ireland. Aodogán spent the mid 1970s to the late 1980s researching his biography about his father, which was released in 1991. Aodogán died in the year 2000.

Reviews

[Ronan Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It's way ahead of its time, as it was written well before (for example) German involvement and British prior knowledge of the 1916 Rising was part of the mainstream. It's not a superbly written book, but then, it's a book by a son about his father so it was never going to be about the writing style. This is the third biography I've read of Irish nationalists and while not as impressive as the one on Griffith (don't get me started on the one on O'Donovan Rossa), it's worth a read.