1916 Easter Rising Private Walking Tour with Expert Local Guide

About This Tour

In April 1916, a group of Irish men and women seized key buildings across Dublin and declared an independent Irish Republic. Six days later, with the city in flames, they surrendered - but the rebellion they started set in motion the events that shaped the modern Irish state. This private 2.5-hour walking tour takes you to the places where it all happened.

You’ll stand outside the GPO on O’Connell Street, headquarters of the Rising, where the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read from the steps. You’ll see St. Stephen’s Green, where Countess Markievicz commanded rebel forces and bullet holes in the railings still mark the spot. You’ll pass Dublin Castle - seat of British rule in Ireland since 1204 AD and site of the first engagement between the IRA and British Crown Forces during Easter Week - and Trinity College, which British soldiers used as a defensive position against the rebels.

Your guide covers the leaders in real depth: Patrick Pearse, President of the Irish Republic during Easter Week; James Connolly, who brought the Irish Citizen Army into the Rising; and Countess Markievicz, whose role is often underrepresented in standard retellings. The tour also looks at what happened on Moore Street, where the rebels made their last stand, and ends at a tranquil garden dedicated to everyone who lost their life fighting for Irish independence.

This tour is a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winner for 2020-2024. Your guide meets you at the statue.

What’s Included

• Private expert guide for the full 2.5 hours
• Hotel pickup

What’s Not Included

• Gratuities
• Food and drinks

Itinerary

1. St. Stephen’s Green - a public park that became a battleground during the Rising; learn about Countess Markievicz’s command role and see bullet holes from Easter Week
2. The Mansion House - home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin; on 21 January 1919, the first Irish Parliament met here and proclaimed Ireland an independent country
3. Dublin Castle - seat of British rule in Ireland from 1204 AD; site of the first engagement between the Irish Republican Army and British Crown Forces during Easter Week
4. Trinity College - used by British soldiers to defend against the rebels; its pro-empire ethos made it a symbol of British rule in Ireland
5. Patrick Pearse’s connection - learn about the role Pearse played as President of the Irish Republic, and the part the Irish language movement played in the revolution
6. James Connolly’s connection - leader of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union who assembled the Irish Citizen Army; hear about his vision for social change and gender equality alongside national independence
7. The GPO, O’Connell Street - headquarters of the Rising; the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read here, and the building was held by the IRA for five days under sustained British bombardment
8. Moore Street - where the rebels made their final stand; with the city in flames, military victory was impossible, and the leaders agreed to surrender
9. Garden of Remembrance - dedicated to all those who died for Irish freedom; a quiet place to reflect on how the Rising led to the independent Irish state

Good to Know

• Private tour - exclusively for your group
• Available in English
• Wheelchair accessible route
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transport options available nearby
• Meeting point: your guide meets you at the statue (details confirmed on booking)

Local Tips

Come with questions, not just curiosity. Because this is a private tour, you can steer the conversation. If you want to spend longer on Connolly’s socialism or understand more about the women of the Rising beyond Markievicz, your guide will go there with you. You won’t get that on a group tour where someone always wants to move on.

Walk O’Connell Street slowly afterwards. Once the tour ends at the Garden of Remembrance, it’s worth doubling back down O’Connell Street on your own and looking at the buildings again with fresh eyes. The GPO’s bullet-marked columns and the Spire standing over the street where so much of it happened hit differently once you know the story.

Moore Street is still under threat. At the time of writing, the buildings on Moore Street where the rebels held their final council before surrender are the subject of ongoing preservation debates. Your guide will give you the current picture - it’s one of the live political conversations in Dublin and worth understanding before you leave.

The Garden of Remembrance is a good place to sit quietly. It’s one of Dublin’s more peaceful spots and often underused by visitors who don’t know it’s there. After 2.5 hours of intense history, a few minutes by the water feature is a natural way to let it settle.

Read the Proclamation text before you go. A quick read of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic before the tour will make everything your guide explains land harder. It’s short - under 500 words - and it sets out exactly what the leaders believed they were fighting for. You can find it easily online.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library Guided Tour
• Kilmainham Gaol Skip-the-Line Tour with Guide
• Dublin Literary Pub Crawl Walking Tour