merrion street

A State commemoration for Francis Sheehy Skeffington, Thomas Dickson and Patrick McIntyre who were executed on the 26th April 1916 in Portobello Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin, now Cathal Brugha barracks was held today. These three men, all newspaper editors, had been arrested by British Forces on 25th April 1916. They were executed without trial in the Exercise Yard of the Guard Room which is now the Visitors’ Centre on 26th April 1916. They were all pacifists and not involved in the fighting during the Easter Rising.
Speaking about the commemoration the Minister said “today is the centenary of that awful event which we contemplate in all of its injustice and solemnity.  We remember them and we honour their memory. The particular circumstances of the arrest and subsequent execution of these three men is both unjust and shocking.”  

The ceremony was attended by members of the Sheehy Skeffington and Dickson families who participated in the commemoration by delivering readings from the personal papers of their relatives and reflecting on the life achievements of these innocent men.

The Visitor Centre, Cathal Brugha barracks, is dedicated to the memory of Francis Sheehy Skeffington, Thomas Dickson and Patrick McIntyre.