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Waterford's 1916 Combatants

Four Waterford men took part in the 1916 Rising in Dublin :

John Graves
Graves was working as a shop assistant in Maynooth and joined the Maynooth branch of the Volunteers in 1913. He spent his time refilling cartridges and arranging for Dublin-made pikes to be sent by rail to Mayo. On Easter Monday the 15 members of the Maynooth Company of Irish Volunteers went to Dublin. On Tuesday the company was sent to the Royal Exchange Hotel and attempted to attack City Hall. They returned to the GPO that evening and were stationed there.

On the surrender of the GPO he was able to slip out the front door and make his way back to Maynooth. However, he was later arrested and brought to the Curragh and was then sent to Richmond Barracks where he was sentenced to 3 years hard labour. This was commuted to 6 months which he served in Kilmainham and Mountjoy Prisons. He was released from prison in October 1916 and he then re-joined the Volunteers.

Liam O’Regan
Liam O’Regan was also a member of the Maynooth Company under the command of Tomás Ó Broin. He was stationed at The Royal Exchange Hotel and then at the GPO where he states he was engaged in “dangerous dispatch work, guarding windows, reconnoitring enemy positions” and so on.

He also reported that he assisted in conveying the wounded to Moore Street after evacuation of the GPO, including James Connolly and he was engaged in breaking through the walls in Moore Street for reception of the garrison. He was arrested and interned until August 1916 and he then re-joined the Volunteers.

Richard Mulcahy
Mulcahy was working in the engineering department of the Post Office and joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913. He was in the Fingal battalion of the Volunteers and served as 2nd in command to Thomas Ashe. He was part of an armed battle with the Royal Irish Constabulary at Ashbourne in County Meath during the 1916 Rising. He was arrested following the Rising and was interned at Knutsford and at Frongoch until December 1916 and he then rejoined the Volunteers.

Liam Raftis
Raftis was employed by the Great Southern and Western Railway. He was with the Boland’s Mill Garrison during the 1916 Rising. Boland’s Mill was positioned to control the railway line and road from Dun Laoghaire. Railway lines were pulled up by the Volunteers stationed at Boland’s Mill to prevent troop trains reaching the city centre.

He was able to slip away in the confusion following the surrender and was not arrested but was suspended without pay from his job with the Great Southern and Western Railway because he was unable to account for his whereabouts during Easter Week.