johnredmond

Is that a hearse, surely not?

There is no shortage of press accounts of miltary reviews in Phoenix Park in the early years of the 20th century, for example to celebrate the King's birthday every June. Another which caught my eye (and it's a long shot) was the review of Nationalist Volunteers on Sunday 4th April 1915 (reported next day in the Dublin Daily Express).

Yesterday a review of the Nationalist Volunteers was held at the Phoenix Park. The event attracted a big gathering. Excursion trains were run from many parts of Ireland. From the South and West there were particularly strong contingents.

and

There was an abundance of green flags, though no Union Jack was to seen.

and

The weather was ideal for such a display and there seemed to be nothing lacking in point of numbers. In other respects, too, contingents appeared quite to the mark.

The officer on the white horse appears (to me at least) to have a beard. From investigations several years ago I know that beards were not allowed in the British Army (except in the Pioneers), so if (big if) these were Volunteers (and if it's a beard) then perhaps the rules didn't apply to them. [Volunteers in and before WW 1 were not people who joined up of their own free will, but equivalent to the modern Territorials, i.e. part-time solders. e.g. my grandfather failed his WW1 medical, but joined the local Volunteers] On the other hand, these look too disciplined and well-drilled to match what I imagine Volunteers to look like, and

But few lost sight of the fact that many of the Volunteers were dressed not in military garb but in the rough clothes of the country

and a can't see any sign of rough clothes, although it's possible the photographer chose to record for posterity a part of the parade where only military garb was on view.

Suck Diesel I don’t think so.

Suck Diesel A couple of the officers appear to be looking at it asking themselves the same question, but the privates know that they have to look straight ahead until the saluting base where the general(s) stood. (Is my interpretation)

Was it this gathering of Redmond’s Volunteers in April 1915? www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/200000-peopl...

A group of Redmondite volunteer Non Commissioned Officers in full regalia! I don't think I've seen anything like this before. All patriotic and well meaning and caught out by the Rising in 1916 and the decision of their leaders to support Britain in WW1 in the hope of gaining Home Rule by peaceful means. Many of them joined the war effort in Europe and lost their lives and many more changed over and took an active part in the war of independence. They are surprisingly well equipped with rifles, those are Lee-Enfield Mark II riflles the standard issue to the British Army at that time though they are sporting Boer War bandoliers.

Swordscookie Thanks, Sean, for condensing 10 turbulent years of Irish history into a few lines, and for the techie information. I've tagged from what you've said. You say "surprisingly well equipped". The rifles may have been up to date, but I wonder how many of those rifles the Volunteers had - not just those that would be displayed for PR reasons in a photo like this?

Swordscookie Pigsticker = Bayonet??

National Library of Ireland on The Commons Of course. The chap near the pointy end better not move in a hurry or he'll be bleeding like a stuck pig!

Swordscookie Thank you for that eloquent and evocative descripion! :)

The wallpaper could have been changed for such an occassion, nearly as dreary as the moustaches!!!!!

It looks like a scene from a musical, excellent.

Christine Curtin And have you spotted the rather random cello/double bass perched up in the left hand corner?

The man with the white beard could possibly be E.P. O'Kelly as he looks very similar to the photo in Paul Gorry's 'Baltinglass Chronicles'. He was the Wicklow MP in Redmond's Home Rule party. Does anyone know who's who in this photo