SECRET police reports from around the time of the 1916 Rising are being made available to the Irish public for the first time.
The reports, filed between 1915 and 1916 – up to four days before the Rising took place – come from the Dublin Metropolitan Police and outline the movements of suspected rebels at the time.
The National Archives of Ireland will release the reports weekly from today and detail the intelligence gathered by Dublin detectives in the lead up to Irish independence.
The files detail the movements of people like Seán T. O'Kelly and Thomas MacDonagh – particularly around important sites such as Thomas J Clarke’s Parnell Street shop, where many freedom fighters met.
Launching the reports, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, said they give a fascinating insight into the events leading up to the Rising.
The weekly files will be available on the National Archives’ website.
Read the first report below
