The sight of the Dillon family emerging from their house waving a white flag in Moore Street being shot down by snipers / machine gunners of the British Army on the roof of the Rotunda is what convinced Pearse that it was time to surrender to prevent more civilian casualties.
General James P Cullen speaking at Offaly Historical Society about the Easter 1916 Rebellion
Discussing this at a talk at Offaly Historical Society with Gen James P. Cullen this week I mentioned the point its easy to look back with hindsight and say how things could have been done better. But if it was me, I would have evacuated the area of civilians as much as possible, and British cold blooded murder would not make me quiver from my quest.
Idealists and dreamers, while the best of Irelands sons
Should stick reading and writing textbooks, leave to soldiers the guns
Who cant bear death but yet seeks the enemy to fight
Need not balk at the consequence of his action wrong or right
The fight must go on: to minimize civilian deaths first you must evacuate
Or the innocent will die, and the numbers will be great
But its easy for armchair generals like me to analyze and speak
How soldiers could have done better in the Rising Easter Week
For all my opinions for all I think I know or knew…
I am no soldier who writes of war… I am but a poet too!
