Sean Connolly
| Sean Connolly | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | County Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | City Hall, Dublin, Ireland |
| Allegiance | Irish Citizen Army |
| Years of service | 1913-16 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Easter Rising |
Sean Connolly (Irish: Seán Ó Congaile); was an Irish republican and socialist who took part in the Easter Rising. He was a captain in the Irish Citizen Army and was both the first person to kill someone during the rising and the first rebel to be killed during the rising.
His father Michael while only being 11 at the time led the Fenians to the battleground at Tallaght during the Fenian Rising in 1867. He was also involved in the ITGWU.
On Easter Monday morning when the ICA was about to march towards their positions from Liberty Hall and start the rising James Connolly approached Connolly, told him how much time he had to get to Dublin Castle, shook his hand and said "Good luck Sean! We wont meet again". At 11:45AM that same day he led a group of ICA members towards Dublin Castle. At the main gate of the castle he shot and killed unarmed DMP officer James O'Brien who would not let them in. They then tied up six sentries in the castle guard room. Major A.J Price who had heard shots fired ran out to the castle courtyard and fired at Connolly and the other ICA member before retreating. Connolly and those under his command did likewise and retreated to City Hall. Within an hour of the retreat he was shot dead while on the roof of City Hall by a British sniper.. It was he who had suggested they go to the roof. Dr Kathleen Lynn describes the event as follows:
We noticed Sean Connolly coming towards us , walking upright, although we had been advised to crouch and take cover as much as possible. We suddenly saw him fall mortally wounded by a sniper's bullet from the castle. First aid was useless. He died almost immediately.
Helena Molony who also witnessed his murder recalled that his younger brother Matt who was fifteen at the time was on the City Hall roof at the time and "cried bitterly" over his death. After he was shot, Molony not knowing Connolly was dead said a prayer in to his ear.
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Wikipedia