O’Kelly’s Rising medals to go under hammer in New York

HE was at Pearse’s side as the Rebels entered the GPO. And now the volunteer medals awarded to former President Seán T O’Kelly’s for serving in the Rising, will be up for grabs when they go under the hammer in New York later this month. The medals belonging to the diminutive founding father, who served as President between 1945 and 1959, are just some of a treasure trove of medals, flags and documents to be auctioned by speciality firm Spink.

O’Kelly served during the Easter Rising as Pádraig Pearse’s Staff Captain with the GPO garrison. His 1916 medal is being auctioned on January 27 with a War of Independence medal (including a combatant’s ‘Comrac’ bar – Comrac is Irish for struggle), along with a silver 50th Anniversary medal and other keepsakes. The year before the Rising, O’Kelly was sent to New York, aged 23, to inform Clann Na nGaedheal of the plans for a rising in Dublin by the Irish Volunteers. Pádraig Pearse appointed O’Kelly as his Staff Captain in preparation for whenever the insurrection would take place.

O’Kelly left a fascinating written account of the Rising: ‘On Monday morning [of Easter Week 1916], I was out of the house early, stopped at my office, stopped to see my mother, and about 11 o’clock made my way to Liberty Hall. A crowd was there, milling around in general confusion. I saw Pearse. He asked if I was with him, and I said “Yes”. Then James Connolly said to form up, and a small column of us marched to the General Post Office. And the Easter Rebellion of 1916 was under way.’

He added: ‘Once inside the post office we were, at first, a little bewildered. James Connolly started giving orders. He asked to have the building cleared of all the post office officials. Then he ordered some of the men to knock all the windows out and have them sandbagged. ‘I had been standing around, waiting to be of service to Pearse, wondering what I was to do. Connolly saw me and told me to go to Liberty Hall.

‘There I would find a large parcel wrapped in brown paper. In the parcel were two flags, a... tricolour, and the other an all-green flag with a gold harp. I was to bring him these two flags. When I handed him the flags, he called over someone standing by and ordered him to hoist the flags on the roof. And with this, Commandant-General Connolly had become Commander of the Republican Forces in Dublin.’