1916 Rebellion Walking Tour

About This Tour

Lorcan Collins has been running this tour since 1996, and it’s still one of the most absorbing two hours you can spend in Dublin. He’s a Dublin author and historian, and his knowledge of the revolutionary period is the kind you can only build over decades of genuine interest. You meet daily at The International Bar, where he hands you your own copy of the 1916 Proclamation and some introductory reading to get you in the right headspace before you head out.

The walk takes in the sites that shaped the country you’re standing in: the GPO, City Hall, Dublin Castle and more. Lorcan starts by taking you back to the Great Hunger of the 1840s and tracing the thread that leads to Easter 1916, then walks you through the Rising itself, the War of Independence from 1919 to 1921, and the Civil War of 1922 to 1923. It’s properly educational, but it’s also good fun and genuinely interactive - you don’t need to know any of the history going in, and most people find they can’t stop asking questions by the end.

What’s Included

• Professional guide

What’s Not Included

• Alcoholic drinks (available to buy)

Itinerary

Lorcan varies the route from day to day so the tour stays fresh, so think of these as the kinds of places you’ll typically visit rather than a fixed list.

1. The International Bar (15 min) - your starting point, and a good place to arrive a few minutes early if you want a drink and a read of the material your guide hands out. Lorcan has been running the tour here since 1996. He opens with an introduction to the build-up to the revolutionary period, tracing the story from the Great Hunger of the 1840s through to the 1916 Rising. It’s a chance to settle in, ask questions, and get to know him before you set off.
2. City Hall (15 min) - occupied by the Irish Citizen Army during the Rising. You stop here to talk through that part of Easter Week and what was happening inside those walls.
3. Dublin Castle (15 min) - the seat of British administration in Ireland for centuries, and central to the story of both the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence. You might recognise it from the Michael Collins film.
4. The Four Courts (15 min) - occupied by the revolutionaries in 1916 and again in the run-up to the Civil War in 1922. Lorcan usually views it from a bridge over the Liffey, and he explains its role in both 1916 and the events that followed.
5. Daniel O’Connell’s Memorial (15 min) - look closely and you’ll see the bullet holes from the Rising. Lorcan explains where the British and Irish forces were positioned during Easter Week.
6. Jim Larkin’s statue (15 min) - Big Jim Larkin, the union man from Liverpool, was a close comrade of James Connolly and a genuine champion of Dublin’s working class. Lorcan covers his role in the revolutionary period and why he matters to the story.
7. The GPO (30 min) - the headquarters of the revolutionaries during the Rising, and the single most important stop on the walk. This is where PH Pearse read the Proclamation from the steps. Lorcan takes you through the events of Easter 1916 in full here.
8. Moore Street (15 min) - time permitting, you’ll often head here to see where the GPO Garrison made their last stand during Easter Week.
9. The Old Parliament (15 min) - depending on the day’s route, you may also take in this building and its neighbour, Trinity College, along with its role in Irish history.

Meeting point: The International Bar is the starting point. It’s a small bar, so you’ll easily spot your guide. If not, just ask at the bar.

Good to Know

The tour runs daily and takes about two hours, with a maximum group size of 30. It’s wheelchair accessible and there’s public transport nearby. The tour runs in English.

It’s not recommended for travellers who are pregnant, have spinal injuries, or have poor cardiovascular health.

Local Tips

Get there five or ten minutes early. The International Bar is small, and Lorcan starts handing out the Proclamation and introductory reading before the tour formally begins. That reading genuinely helps you follow the early part of the walk, and you’ll feel more at ease if you’ve had a chance to read it over a coffee or a pint rather than on the move.

Don’t worry if you know nothing about Irish history. People who’ve never heard of the Easter Rising consistently get as much from this as history buffs do - more, arguably, because everything comes as a surprise. Lorcan pitches it perfectly for newcomers without dumbing it down for people who already know the basics.

The GPO is still a working post office. You can go inside after the tour and see the museum within, including the original 1916 Proclamation on display. It’s free and well worth fifteen minutes if you want to sit with what you’ve just heard.

Dress for the weather, not the walk. The route itself is manageable for most fitness levels and on flat city-centre ground, but Dublin in any season can turn on you. A light waterproof layer in your bag means you’re not squinting through drizzle at the Four Courts when Lorcan’s in full flow.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle. Two hours on foot is nothing dramatic, but you’ll enjoy it more if you’re not thinking about your feet by the time you reach the GPO.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery Tour - where many of the 1916 leaders are buried, with informative guided tours of the grounds
• Kilmainham Gaol Tour - the jail where the leaders of the Rising were executed in 1916, now one of Dublin’s most visited historic sites
• Literary Pub Crawl Dublin - a different side of the city’s cultural history, following the footsteps of Joyce, Beckett and Behan through the same streets