For what died the sons of Róisín? Was it for fridge magnets? Was it for specially commissioned 1916 tracksuit bottoms, Proclamation football jerseys or "Choclomation" bars?
As the centenary of 1916 draws closer, Irish retailers have been busier than ever fumbling in their greasy tills and adding the halfpence to the pence to capitalise on the public interest in the Rising.
They are not alone. Political parties, tour operators and even our leading banks have all been coming up with wheezes to get people to take leave of their cents.
In the shadow of the GPO there are two Carrolls Irish Gifts outlets, and both are making an extra-special effort this year to “respectfully” commemorate 1916.
Shoppers who come through doors are greeted by a taped message alerting them to a new special section – sandwiched between the “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts and the inflatable tricolour hammers – dedicated to 1916.
There are all manner of calendars, fridge magnets, commemorative coins (three for a fiver), key rings and hoodies, as well, of course, as printouts of the Proclamation starting at €5.
Fliers
Just outside Carrolls, on O’Connell Street, young men and women from all over the world are handing out fliers for a 1916 open-top bus tour.
“Meet the personalities who lit the flame of Irish independence, the brave volunteers, massively outnumbered and outgunned but who had bravery and destiny on their side,” it says.
Stirring stuff indeed.
The bus tour started crisscrossing the city last week, taking in the “battle sites of the Easter Rising”.
It is being run by Dualway, an operator which says it is laying on a tour bus specially designed with a 1916 theme.
Sadly, it’s not ready to roll just yet; for now, the mostly Irish tourists taking the tour have to board a regular red open-top bus.
At €15 for an adult and €10 for a child, the 90-minute tour is not cheap.
“We had 12 people on the bus today,” one staff member says as she hands out fliers. “But it will be busier next week when the new bus is ready.”
Parnell looks down on the Ambassador Theatre and it is hard not to wonder what he’d make of Revolution 1916, the “original and authentic exhibition” enjoying an extended run.
Re-creations
A €15 ticket gets you a 15-minute Rising video, after which there are three or four re-creations of the key scenes and events, including the GPO, Moore Street and the executions at
Kilmainham
Gaol.
The Revolution 1916 exhibition then takes an unexpected turn with a section devoted to Michael Collins, before finishing up in a room devoted to the hunger strikes of the 1980s.
When asked about the narrative arc, an enthusiastic staff member says: “We wanted to paint the complete picture for people.” We?
It is, he says, a joint venture between MCD and Sinn Féin, and tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster.
Was it for this?
Not far away is the Sinn Féin shop. There is no hustle or bustle here, just three tough-looking men haggling over the price of a 1916 football jersey.
“How much is that?” one asks.
“€35,” comes the reply.
“Will you give it to him for 20 quid because he’s from south Armagh?” the third man says. Then they talk about Sinn Féin’s election results.
Across the road, a bank bought by the people as the economy collapsed has some key 1916 messages in its window.
There are pictures of the main players and the Proclamation writ large.
There’s no mention of how the banks cost the Republic its economic sovereignty back in the day.
Making a deal of 1916
AIB
is not the only bank making a deal of 1916. The
Central Bank
is selling special €2 coins with a starting price of – wait for it now – €6.
Although, to be fair, the “first national commemorative €2 coin” comes with a natty coin card and is, the bank says, “the perfect way to obtain and treasure” the historic coin.
The city centre is not the only place where 1916 is big business.
In Shay Kirwan’s shop on Stoneybatter’s Manor Street, not far from the site of the North King Street massacre, framed Proclamations are selling for €9.99.
“That’s an original, you know,” says Kirwan. “And it’s a bargain at that price. I’ve sold a few so far. I’ve got T-shirts coming in too.
“They’ll have the Proclamation printed on them. I hope people buy them. They’ll be no good to me next year.”
Then there's Children of the Revolution Ale. Without much thought for the children who actually lived and died in the revolution, this ale was released by the Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company to mark, "in our own way, the bravery and vision of our country men and women who made possible the Ireland we live in today".
Even Mattress Mick is getting in on the 1916 action.
“If you strike us down now, we shall rise again and renew the fight,” begins the Pearse quote stencilled on the window of his Pearse Street showroom.
The window also has, of course, a picture of Mattress Mick.
Was it for this?
