There is an atmosphere around Dublin these days – an air of excitement, if you will. I sensed it when I walked through the streets to meet the “Ride the Rebellion” bus tour last Tuesday afternoon. Tricolours fluttered in the cool spring wind. Dublin was as tranquil as could be.
As I got on to the bus at College Green, however, I stepped into a different world. The bottom deck of the modified bus was converted to a room that represented early 20th century Ireland.
A “fire” burned in the centre of the room as the Proclamation of Irish Freedom hung proudly on the wall. Dummies of two injured men in uniform sat in the darkened room, their guns beside them.
If the engineer’s vision, who designed the bottom deck of the bus, was to transport us back to the war-torn Dublin of Easter week 1916, then they succeeded. It had that feel. It had that smell.
Upstairs, the theme continued. Designed immaculately, it told the story of destruction. The walls of the bus were, for all intents and purposes, transformed into the damaged buildings in the capital that week. You felt you were part of it all and the bus hadn’t even left yet.
Cue our tour guides, Colm and Amy. Dressed like they would have been a century previous, they explained the background of the rising using the testimonies of many of the people involved in the conflict. They acted as the fighter. They talked in the first person. It was as if you were listening to somebody who had been at the heart of the struggle.
In all, three stops were made; the first taking us to Dublin Castle, the home of the British forces in Ireland in 1916. Amy and Colm described the scene, as the first bullet fired here ignited what we commemorate today.
The high pillars of the GPO have come to represent Irish freedom since Pearse read the proclamation on Easter Monday. It was to be the second stop on our trip, and it proved as poignant as it was fascinating.
After our accomplished guides/actors told us the story of the struggle inside the building, they led us down the path the rebels took when fleeing the GPO. We walked through Henry St, down Henry Place and across to Moore St. The blow-by-blow details of what happened really hit home. You get the idea of their struggle. The fear they must have felt. You sense the history.
Richmond Barracks provided our final stop. It was the halfway point of detention for many of the fighters before they made their way to Kilmainham. For many, Kilmainham was their final stop.
As we made our way back to College Green, the final figures of the fallen soldiers and civilians were given. Testimonies of victims and their family members played over the sound system on the bus. You really did feel a part of it all.
No part of the rising is left out on this tour, from the background of Home Rule and the great war to Cumann na mBan and the union strike. The first bullet to the last were explained, all while entertaining the crowd – a skill in itself.
When the tour came to an end, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive from the tour-goers. As I stepped off the bus with them and back into the tranquil surrounding of a once war-torn city, I had a smile on my face.
A unique experience, a unique concept.
Information
The 1916 Bus Tour of Dublin began on 1 February and has been an overwhelming success ever since. The tour runs 21 shows a week and uses six actors on a rotating basis. TripAdvisor has given the tour five stars on its review page, based on previous customers’ feedback. For more information on how to book the tour, visit www.1916bustourdublin.com. Tickets cost €25 and can be booked online or purchased in the tourist office across the road. Tours may be booked out so check online. The tour lasts two hours in total. For further information on events taking place nationwide as part of the Ireland 1916 programme, visit www.ireland.ie