Volunteers and Citizen Army unite to celebrate Parnell Day

Dublin, 12 October 1914 - The annual Parnell Day celebrations saw up to 3,000 Volunteers led by Prof. Eoin MacNeill march through Dublin to Glasnevin, along with men from the Irish Citizen Army.

Many of those who took part carried rifles with fixed bayonets, while others brandished swords.

The march took the crowd to Glasnevin Cemetary, where, in 1891, over 200,000 people gathered for Parnell's funeral. (Image: National Library of Ireland, L_ROY_01128)

On returning to Parnell Square, speakers at a rally said that the Volunteers stood for the same national cause that their fathers had fought and died for, and not for any new-fangled brand of nationalism.

It was claimed also that, in flying the Union Jack above his home at Aughavanagh, John Redmond had at last found his true flag.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]