Ashbourne, County Meath - 1916 Rising Monument

1916 Rising Monument

According to Ríocht na Mídhe, the journal of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, on the 28th April 1916 a group of Fingal Volunteers estimated to number 45 men, under the command of Thomas Ashe, a national school teacher in Lusk, and second in command Richard Mulcahy, attacked the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at Ashbourne. The barracks was usually manned by a sergeant and four constables but given the level of fighting in the Capital, reinforcements had been called in from surrounding barracks and so on the day of the attack there were 10 RIC men stationed there.

The rebels advanced on the barracks disarming two RIC men who were setting up a barricade outside the barracks. With these two men disarmed and captured, Ashe called on the remaining officers to surrender and immediately a siege situation turned into a shoot out. With little sign of capitulation on the RIC's part it is believed the use of a home-made grenade resulted in them offering to surrender by waving a white handkerchief.

However before they could emerge the hoot of a car horn was heard to the north west. County Inspector Alexander Grey must have received word of the siege as he assembled between 54 and 67 men at Slane in 17 motorcars which were rushed to Ashbourne to put down the uprising. The rebels spread out and rushed along the Slane road to stop the convoy reaching Rath Cross and spreading out. The RIC reinforcements took heavy fire from the rebels from all sides. The firefight lasted many hours before volunteer reinforcements arrived from Baldwinstown. The RIC eventually surrendered to the volunteers. However given that the uprising in Dublin had been put down the Fingal volunteers eventually gave themselves up two days later. Thomas Ashe was sentenced to death for his part in the attack, but this was later commuted to penal servitude for life.

The uprising at Ashbourne was not seen favourably at the time with the Meath Chronicle calling it a "tragic blunder". Navan Urban District Council passed resolutions of sympathy. A number of local catholic priests (Curragha & Ratoath) also spoke out against the attack. However condemnation turned into sympathy with the execution of the a number of prominent 1916 rebels who had fought in Dublin.

President of Ireland, Sean T. O'Kelly unveiled a memorial at Rath Cross Roads, Ashbourne,on Easter Sunday, April 26, 1959 which commemorates the Battle of Ashbourne. The story was covered on the front page of the Irish Times the next day. The memorial designed by Con O'Reilly and Peter Grant commemorates the Battle and John Crenigan and Thomas Rafferty who were killed. The monument has two images on one side the figure is in the form of Christ on the other side is a rebel. This monument is known locally as The Rath Cross.

It bears the following inscription;

ERECTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE FINGAL BRIGADE OLD IRA TO COMMEMORATE THE VICTORIOUS BATTLE WHICH TOOK PLACE NEAR ASHBOURNE 28 APRIL 1916 WHERE VOLUNTEERS JOHN CRENIGAN & THOMAS RAFFERTY GAVE THEIR LIVES DESIGNED FROM THE POEM "LET ME CARRY YOUR CROSS FOR IRELAND LORD" COMPOSED BY THEIR LEADER COMMANDANT THOMAS ASHE