The official commemoration of the centenary anniversary of the landing of arms on 26 July 1914 by the yacht Asgard at Howth took place on Sunday 27 July 2014 at Howth harbour. Descendants and relatives of the key participants were guests of honour and members of the public were also invited to attend.
On 26 July 1914, Erskine Childers’ yacht, the Asgard, arrived at Howth Pier, north of Dublin after a 21 day voyage from Belgium to arm the Irish Volunteers. The yacht contained 900 rifles and 19,000 rounds of ammunition, purchased in Hamburg with funds raised by individuals associated with the Irish Volunteers, most notably with the assistance of Alice Stopford Green and Roger Casement.
The gun-running was prompted by the much larger gun-running expedition carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force at Larne the previous March.
The weapons were unloaded at Howth by members of the Irish Volunteers and Na Fianna Éireann, a smaller cargo of weapons was landed at Kilcoole, County Wicklow, a few days later.
As the weapons were being brought back to the city, an abortive attempt to seize them was made by members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.
Later when returning to Royal Barrack’s (now Collins Barracks), the King’s Own Scottish Borderers opened fire on a hostile but unarmed crowd at Bachelor’s Walk on the Dublin quays, killing three civilians: Mary Duffy (56), Patrick Quinn (50), and James Brennan (18), and injuring another 80. A fourth victim, Sylvester Pidgeon, died of his wounds on 25 September.
Most of the weapons landed were not seized, and were later used in the Easter Rising of 1916.
The associated commemoration programme commenced with a ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery led by Ms. Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in memory of the four members of the public killed at Bachelor’s Walk and buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. The ceremony, which involved a wreath-laying, was followed by a memorial mass at the Pro-Cathedral attended by President Michael D. Higgins.
The focus of the programme then moved to the East Pier of Howth harbour. A replica of the Asgard led a flotilla into the harbour. A group of re-enactors unloaded imitation weapon boxes marked with the logo “Mauser 1871 Infantrie Gewher”.
Addressing the attendees, President Michael D. Higgins stated, inter alia
“The arrival here of the Asgard on 26th July was an event which was to change the course of our history, constituting an important milestone in the long and difficult struggle for Irish independence.
As we commemorate the Asgard, it is tempting to speculate on what motivation gathered this extraordinary crew who belonged to the different traditions of Ireland.
In this ongoing decade of commemorations, we are called on to remember these events with respect and with a commitment to understand the motivations of all sides, both supporters of independence and advocates of empire.”
The ceremony concluded with the laying of a wreath by President Higgins, a gun salute, the sounding of the Last Post and Reveille, followed by the National Anthem.
In parallel, on Saturday 26 July a commemoration took place in Kilcoole County Wicklow, marking the landing of a portion of the Asgard haul at Kilcoole beach on 1st August 2014 and subsequently taken to St Enda’s School in Rathfarnham.
