Participants in Easter Rising 1916

It was the subject of debate for nearly a 100 years but now we have a definitive list of names showing who really took part in the Easter Rising 1916.

We also have the official figure for how many rebels were in the GPO in that momentous period of Irish history.

The figures weer published by the Military Pensions Archive in 2015. They show that there were 508 rebels in the GPO and a total of 2,558 involved in the whole campaign.

The lists have been compiled on the basis of the number of people, or their family members, who applied for a military pension or allowance, or just an Easter Rising medal.

Archivists say the only person they know to be missing from the list is Cathal Brugha, who was second in command to Éamonn Ceannt at the South Dublin Union. Brugha later took the anti-treaty side and was killed during the Civil War.

The list will help identify relatives of those rebels

The list is being used to identify relatives of those rebels who want to take part in the various parades and meetings planned for the Easter Rising commemorations next year.

People who believe they have a relative who was involved but who is not on the list can appeal to the Department of Defence but must do so before September this year.

The Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, told the Irish Times that the release of the full list of names was a “very significant milestone in our understanding and historical appreciation of the identity of the men and women, from many different backgrounds, who lit the spark at Easter 1916 which a short time later led to the formation of a resurgent revolutionary movement that ultimately led to the War of Independence”.

You can check the full list of names in the Military Pensions Archive here.

Ancient history