1 4 Zion Terrace Rathgar Co Dublin 28th April 1916 My dear Jo, We are living here in an atmosphere which you can hardly imagine.
No pots in or out, no telegrams, no telephones, no newspapers, no gas & not
much to eat all through the Sinn Fein (pronounced Shin Fane) Rising about
which you have no doubt read in the papers — I am only guessing that
the news has reached you. On Monday last Muriel, Doreen & I went to spend the Bank holiday
at Lusk. We left a peaceful spot & had a most enjoyable day in the
Country. About 2.30 we heard a bang which did not at the time attract
much attention but afterwards discovered that the Sinn Fein lot had attempted
to blow up a railway viaduct between us & Dublin, half an hour before
the Lord Lieutenant's tram was due to pass. Fortunately (?) they only
partially succeeded for the railway repair gang had one line of
rails working in 3 1/2 hours, so we got to what we thought was
the peaceful spot we left. The Dublin railway terminus deleted text looked as usual & we walked up to Sackville St. meaning to take
a tram home as usual — but no trams were visible. Not knowing
what to make of it I asked a bystander 'What has happened to the
tram service' He looked at me for a minute as if I were either a
— fool or an escaped lunatic & then said 'do you mean to say
you dont know that Dublin is in a state of riot?' I told him we had
just come from the country & knew nothing so he pointed across the
street & said 'There is the flag of the Irish Republic flying on the General
Post Office which has been seized & if you are fool enough to go over you will
see a Poster on its walls about 'England's Dominion over Ireland is now 2 at an end'. I said thanks there is no place like home — no carts,
no cars, no taxis, so with a bundle of eggs which we had
gathered at Lusk we started to tramp home. On we went past
Trinity College where the rattle of machine guns from the Castle
made me hurry the party on. Up Grafton Street & friend of
ours who has a Painters Shop in Stephens Green said 'The best
thing you can do is leave your parcels in my place till till
tomorrow & then you'll have nothing to carry. This we did & had
resumed our homeward way when, from the Direction of Harcourt
Street came a scurrying rush of men women & children which
I could not understand. We drew aside to get the shelter of
a church porch as the crowd swept by when Doreen suddenly
cried 'Oh Mother I am shot' & something (like a boy throwing
a stone) hit me hard on the ankle. I never bothered about
anything but picked Doreen up & carried her back to
where our parcels were (& are still) reposing, there I cut her
clothes off & put an improvised tourniquet on her leg. She got a
bullet (which I have in my pocket as I write) right through the
upper parts of her left leg, which providentially escaped the bone
& the femoral artery but cut a branch of the latter. Meantime a
Doctor turned up from a few doors away & said 'you are not
safe here come into my house' & then we had to shelter for
an hour & a quarter while rifle & revolver shots made it unwise,
to say the least of it, to open the door. Then we all bundled into
an ambulance Waggon which was the only possible means of conveyance & got home. I may add that if reports are true the
Sinn Fein crowd have as much respect for the Red Cross as the
Germans! Our own Doctor came shortly after & found Doreen fearfully
weak from shock & loss of blood but pulled her round with whiskey
& Brand's essence & now after an anxious time I am thankful to say 3 she is getting on quite well — no temperature & very little
inflammation. Poor Muriel who was trying to shelter Doreen got an
awful fright & it was only afterwards that we counted twelve
bullet holes in various articles of her attire showing that one if
not two bullets had passed within a hairsbreadth of her legs. What
hit me afterwards turned out to be a spent bullet so all three of
us had marvellous escapes! Now here we are living out in the suburbs
not knowing what has happened or what is happening in the city. We have to stop
indoors between 7.30 pm & 5.30 am. an open window is regarded with
suspicion & if you happen to walk in daylight with your hand in your
pocket a soldier with loaded rifle will probably appear from somewhere
& tell you to keep your hands free. One poor chap who put his hand into
his hip pocket & drew a silver cigarette case was instantaneously shot
as it was thought to be a revolver. You see some of the Sinn Fein crowd
are in uniform but a lot are in plain clothes & one never knows who or
what idlers in the streets are & we are all idlers with the jumps just now. It
is very a wry feeling to see the sky at night lighted up with fires & listen to the
crack of rifles, the knock-knock of machine guns & the bang plop which
says 'dropped' as the military & sailors fight for the possession of the
city — raiding home to home & I suppose destroying what they cannot capture.
A great it deal is left to the imagination & with all our nerves on edge
you can imagine guess what a lot we imagine, particularly as there
are rumours that another face of reinforcements for the rebels is coming near the
hills & that some of the country houses near us are ammunition depots. In
any case don't be alarmed about us; things are not so bad that they might not
be worse. bad and all as they are. You might tell George the contents of this 4 as I have no time to write more & am sending this in a
round about way in the hope that it may keep you from
wondering if we are all dead., Love to all from us all. Your affectionate Brother Pat . 5 Permanent
Dublin Metropolitan Police,
3rd May 1916.
Please pass Patrick B
Carphin
of 4 Lion Tcc Rathgar
throughthe streets of the
City and D.M.P. area.
Co. Edgeworth—Johnstone Commissioner. 6 Mrs Carphin 94 Northumberland Street Edinburgh