- Éamonn Ceannt
Infobox Military Person
name= "Éamonn Ceannt"
born = birth date|1881|9|21|df=y
died = death date and age|1916|5|8|1881|9|21|df=y
placeofbirth=Ballymoe ,County Galway ,Ireland
placeofdeath=Kilmainham Jail ,Dublin City ,Ireland
caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Irish Volunteers
serviceyears= 1913 – 1916
rank= Commandant
commands= 4th Battalion
unit=
battles=Easter Rising
awards=
laterwork=Éamonn Ceannt (born Edward Thomas Kent (
21 September ,1881 –8 May ,1916 ) was an Irishnationalist and rebel, most known for his role in theEaster Rising of 1916.Ceannt was born in
Ballymoe ,County Galway , one of seven children. His father was a member of theRoyal Irish Constabulary . When he retired in 1892, he moved his family to Dublin.It was there that young Edward became interested in the Irish Ireland movement. He joined the
Gaelic League , adopting the Irish version of his name (Éamonn), and becoming a master of theuilleann pipes , even putting on a performance forPope Pius X , who was on that occasion accompanied by a group of elderly Irish priests that had been long living in exile. He was employed as an accountant for theDublin Corporation .Sometime around 1913 he joined the
Irish Republican Brotherhood , and later was one of the founding members of theIrish Volunteers . As such he was important in the planning of theEaster Rising of 1916, being one of the original members of the Military Committee and thus one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Republic. He was made commandant of the 4th Battalion of the Volunteers, and during the Rising was stationed at the South Dublin Union and theMarrowbone Lane Distillery , with more than a hundred men under his command, notably his second-in-commandCathal Brugha , andW. T. Cosgrave . His unit saw intense fighting at times during the week, but surrendered when ordered to do so by his superior officerPatrick Pearse . Ceannt's position was one of only two that was not taken in the rising, along withÉamon de Valera 's at Boland's Mill.Ceannt was held in
Kilmainham Jail until hisexecution by firing squad on8 May ,1916 , aged 34.Galway City's Ceannt Station, the main bus and rail station in his native county of Galway, is named in his honour, as well as Éamonn Ceannt Park in Dublin. Eamonn Ceannt Tower in
Ballymun , which was demolished in 2005, was also named after him.References
*William Henry, "Supreme Sacrifice: The Story of Eamonn Ceannt", Mercier Press, 2005
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