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This is one of the best-known documents in modern Irish history and it is housed at the Imperial War Museum in London. Given the
clarity of this order, it should have been the last official one Pearse composed. But just as the 1916 Rising commenced in confused
circumstances, so it finished in confused circumstances due to the difficulties associated with relaying messages. How was this order
from Pearse to be communicated and would it be believed or accepted? Given the nature of the rebel’s military strategy in 1916 and
the extent to which their limited numbers were spread throughout the city in a variety of buildings and outposts, some the scenes
of intense battles, others quiet, and given the considerable British military presence by the end of the week, this was not going to be
straightforward.
After his brief visit to Parkgate, Pearse was taken to Arbour Hill detention barracks and copies of the surrender order were taken to
Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell to be relayed to the sections of rebels at various points in the city, but there were difficulties in getting all them
to agree to surrender. Various commanders were reluctant but were persuaded. Rebels at Boland’s Mill, Jacob’s Factory, St Stephen’s
Green and Marrowbone Lane surrendered and as prisoners, were marched to Richmond Barracks where the leaders were identified.
It has been noted, “except for a scattering of snipers in Dublin, the surrender was complete”. But it was not quite as straightforward
as that.
During Easter week the fighting in the Four Courts area, with its northern outposts at Church Street and North King Street, and its
southern posts held at Church Street Bridge, and beyond the river at the Mendicity Institute, was exceptionally severe. General Maxwell
subsequently stated “with the one exception of the place at Ballsbridge, where the Sherwood Foresters were ambushed, this was by
far the worst fighting that occurred in the whole of Dublin.” This remark especially applied to the fighting at the intersection of Church
Street and North King Street, and, a short distance further north, at the intersection of Church Street and North Brunswick Street.
Despite relentless assaults down Church St., supported by an armoured car, British forces were unable to penetrate more than 150
yards between the morning of Friday 28 April and 2 p.m. on Saturday 29 April. On the Saturday evening, Capuchin Fr Albert Bobby
helped arrange an overnight truce in the area to allow evacuation of the wounded. The role of the Capuchins during the Rising was very
significant, partly because the rebels occupied several positions in the immediate vicinity of the Church Street Capuchin community,
establishing a headquarters and first aid station in the Father Mathew Hall adjacent to the friary. Several friars ministered throughout
the week to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the insurgents and civilians, especially to the wounded and dying, dividing
their time between the Richmond hospital and the North Dublin Union (wherein many of the area’s residents sought refuge).
Also on the Saturday evening, another Capuchin Fr Columbus Murphy, when returning from Jervis Street Hospital, met Elizabeth O’Far-
rell conveying the surrender order to Commandant Edward Daly at the Four Courts. Fr Columbus accompanied her, bearing a small
white flag, and on reaching the Four Courts they interviewed Daly at the Chancery Place entrance. As recalled by John Shouldice in his
Bureau of Military History Statement
“Comt Daly addressed us and stated that orders had been received from General Pearse that we were to lay down our arms and surrender
unconditionally. This was the cause of an outburst amongst the men and some of the officers who replied that they would fight on sooner than
surrender….
Daly, however, sympathised with them and stated that personally he would prefer to fight on under these conditions, but the orders
from General Pearse were definite and had to be obeyed…the Four Courts was gradually being surrounded by strong military forces
and the final surrender occurred about 7pm”
At the surrender, the Volunteers’ arms were passed out through the railings at Chancery Place to the soldiers outside. Comdt. Daly, at
the head of his men, was marched under heavy military guard along the quays, by Capel Street and Britain Street, to the northern end
of O’Connell Street. They were afterwards placed inside the Rotunda railings and throughout the night were confined on the grass plot
opposite the hospital. Several of the Cumann na mBan were taken prisoners at the same time.
The complication, however, was that the outlying position at North King Street, a post held by about 69 Volunteers, which although only
a few yards beyond the captured position, did not surrender. The Volunteers in this area continued to hold out under the armistice;
there was still confusion in North King Street and in other locations as to whether this was a truce or a complete surrender. Accord-
ing to the witness statements of two other Franciscans, Fr. Augustine and Fr Aloysius, both went to Dublin Castle at 8am on Sunday
morning, where General Lowe confirmed the authenticity of the typed copies of the Pearse surrender in circulation, but he could not
produce a spare. While James Connolly was at the Castle, he confirmed the veracity of the order, and stressed that his signature per-
tained to men under his direct command in Dublin, but it was Pearse who led the national organisation. Lowe was aware of possible
difficulty and put his car and chauffeur at the disposal of the Capuchins who, according to Fr Augustine “drove at once to Arbour Hill
Detention Barracks to see Pearse who, after a short while, was ushered into the room by a solider who then stood at the end with a
loaded rifle…he said that he had signed a document of unconditional surrender stating the reasons why he had done so, but that one