Liberty Hall was the headquarters of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union and a key centre of labour activism during the 1913 Lockout under Jim Larkin. From 1914, James Connolly used it as the base of the Irish Citizen Army and as the printing site for The Workers’ Republic.
In the lead-up to the 1916 Rising, Liberty Hall was heavily guarded, with arms stockpiled and a bomb factory operating in the basement. Shortly before Easter, a police raid on the union’s newspaper office was repelled by armed members, including Connolly, Helena Molony, and Constance Markievicz.
On the Sunday before Easter, the Irish flag was raised over the building. Following Eoin MacNeill’s countermanding order, the Military Council met there on Easter Sunday and decided to postpone the Rising to Easter Monday, ordering the printing of the Proclamation on its presses.
On Easter Monday, forces departed from Liberty Hall to key positions such as the GPO and St Stephen’s Green, with vehicles transporting munitions. By Wednesday, the building was shelled by the British gunboat Helga and largely destroyed.
