Grand Central, Dublin
Located at the corner of O’Connell Street and Abbey Street, the Grand Central Café Bar is located in a genuinely grand central site, but doesn’t have a long history. It links what were two premises, 10 and 11 O’Connell Street, which have been a single building since the Munster and Leinster Bank acquired No 11 in 1926. No 11 was rebuilt by Benjamin Ball in 1824.
The buildings were extensively damaged in the Easter Rising of 1916, primarily by a shell from HMS Helga. No 10 was refurbished as a result in 1917.
The buildings played an interesting rôle during the Easter Rising. They housed at that time the Irish School of Wireless Telegraphy. With all telephone lines in and out of the city cut by the British authorities, on the second day of the Rising, 25 April 1916, the rebels sent the following message in Morse code thanks to one of their number, David Bourke, who was proficient in the art of telegraphy: “Irish Republic declared in Dublin today. Irish troops have captured city and are in full possession. Enemy cannot move in city. The whole country rising.”
Ships did receive the message and relayed it to the international press, although three days later the Rising would be crushed.
Grand Central, Dublin
Located at the corner of O’Connell Street and Abbey Street, the Grand Central Café Bar is located in a genuinely grand central site, but doesn’t have a long history. It links what were two premises, 10 and 11 O’Connell Street, which have been a single building since the Munster and Leinster Bank acquired No 11 in 1926. No 11 was rebuilt by Benjamin Ball in 1824.
The buildings were extensively damaged in the Easter Rising of 1916, primarily by a shell from HMS Helga. No 10 was refurbished as a result in 1917.
The buildings played an interesting rôle during the Easter Rising. They housed at that time the Irish School of Wireless Telegraphy. With all telephone lines in and out of the city cut by the British authorities, on the second day of the Rising, 25 April 1916, the rebels sent the following message in Morse code thanks to one of their number, David Bourke, who was proficient in the art of telegraphy: “Irish Republic declared in Dublin today. Irish troops have captured city and are in full possession. Enemy cannot move in city. The whole country rising.”
Ships did receive the message and relayed it to the international press, although three days later the Rising would be crushed.