An Stad
Encyclopedia
An Stad was a tobacco shop, guesthouse, restaurant and meeting place in Dublin, Ireland
for members of the Irish Nationalist movement and the Gaelic Revival
in the early 20th century. It was frequented by notable historical figures, including Douglas Hyde
, the first President of the Irish Free State, Arthur Griffith
, founder of Sinn Féin
, author James Joyce
, Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA) founder Michael Cusack
, poet William Butler Yeats
, and many others.
for 'The Stop') was founded at 30 North Frederick Street in Dublin in the late 19th century by Cathal McGarvey, author of the traditional Irish song Star of the County Down
, as a meeting place for nationalists and Irish language enthusiasts. The activities that took place at An Stad included early morning pro-Independence rallies, late night tobacco smoking, Irish language storytelling and even reviews in Irish of works of art.
sports ground. Among his guests was Michael Cusack
, founder of the GAA and the man after whom Croke Park's Cusack Stand was named.
As the Abbey Theatre
gained prominence in the early 20th century, An Stad's role as a literary centre gradually declined. However, as the Irish War of Independence
broke out in 1919, An Stad had a pivotal role as a chief guesthouse for republican activists, and is now a stop on Sinn Féin
's 'Rebel tour of Dublin'. Michael Collins stayed at An Stad on many occasions, and the house still has bullet holes over the inside front door where British troops fired warning shots after failing to find Collins during a raid.
After Irish independence from the United Kingdom, An Stad retained its role as a centre for the Gaelic Revival, with authors frequently reviewing works of poetry and prose in the Irish language. It retained this role at least until World War II. There is no evidence to suggest whether An Stad sided with Pro-Treaty or Anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War
In 1938, a dissident Irish Republican Army
(IRA) group, in an attempt to force the Irish Government to fight for full Irish independence (the 1921 treaty established only a "Free State", retaining the King of the United Kingdom as head of state and keeping Ireland within the British Commonwealth), attempted unsuccessfully to destroy Nelson's Pillar
on O'Connell Street
in Dublin, less than a mile from An Stad, which they saw as a symbol of continued British sovereignty in Ireland. The IRA activists used An Stad as their safehouse, the perpetrators staying at and storing the gelignite at An Stad. The plan was cancelled at the last minute. Nelson's Pillar was eventually destroyed in 1966, but there is no evidence that they used An Stad as a safehouse at that time.
After World War II, An Stad does not appear to have had any more association with the nationalist movement, which in any event moved primarily to Northern Ireland
after Ireland declared a Republic and withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1948.
An Stad continued to operate as a guesthouse throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
was a frequent guest of An Stad during his student years in Dublin. While many people tried to convince him of the value of the Gaelic revival and others tried to convince him of the value of the Nationalist movement, Joyce was interested in neither and deeply suspicious of both, and eventually left Ireland entirely. However, his time at An Stad did have one lasting influence on Irish Literary history. His Character 'The Citizen' in his landmark novel Ulysses
is based on Michael Cusack
, whom Joyce met at An Stad. Several other patrons of An Stad, including Oliver St. John Gogarty
, recall being impressed or influenced by Joyce.
was a frequent guest at An Stad under different circumstances. After the Irish War of Independence broke out, Collins and other IRA/Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB) members regularly hid at An Stad, and there are bullet holes in the house from a failed attempt by British agents to locate Collins in the house. Collins was very familiar with proprietor Mollie Gleeson, whom he asked to identify the body of Sean Treacy
when he was killed by British agents in 1920. History books and personal accounts indicate that many different IRA agents under Collins's tutelage hid at An Stad when delivering messages or arms to Republican fighters. A Collins family lived at An Stad in the late 19th century, but they were not direct ancestors of Michael Collins. Anecdotally, in the film Michael Collins
, during a scene where Collins and Harry Boland
are seen cycling away from a British raid on leaders of Dáil Éireann
, An Stad is visible in the background.
was advocating the cause of Irish Independence. According to An Stad regular Oliver St. John Gogarty, it was during his time at An Stad that Hyde first formulated his plan for an Irish Free State based on the idea of ignoring the British, an idea that later greatly influenced Éamon de Valera
and formed the basis of the first Dáil. Hyde's idea was that if the elected Irish members of the British Parliament instead formed a parliament in Dublin and created their own system of courts and of policing society, Ireland could rid itself of British rule. Hyde is regularly mentioned by other guests and was one of the first later-famous Irish people who frequented An Stad. His views were influential on the other patrons who viewed him as a senior member. Hyde later became the first President of the Irish Free State.
at An Stad, Oliver St. John Gogarty said "I know no more beautiful face than 'Yeats when lit with song'" Yeats was a regular guest at An Stad as a young man in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His desire to open a theatre for Irish theatrical endeavours came to fruition with the opening of the Abbey Theatre
. There is no record of Yeats continuing to frequent An Stad after this point.
, founder of the GAA, was a regular guest at An Stad and made a great impression on many of the people he met there, including James Joyce and Oliver St. John Gogarty, both of whom wrote about their meetings with Cusack there. Cusack was a regular at nearby Croke Park, and influenced the An Stad crowd with his beliefs in the promotion of Gaelic games as a unifying influence over the nationalist movement. In later years, the Gaelic Games movement would indeed play such a role, with nationalists playing amateur Gaelic football and hurling in the Phoenix Park
and more formal games at Croke Park
. One of the most famous incidents of the Irish War of Independence was when British troops in an armoured vehicle entered Croke Park and fired on players and spectators, killing 13 spectators and one player. Cusack is also the inspiration for the character "The Citizen" in James Joyce's novel Ulysses
.
, founder of Sinn Féin
and leader of the delegation that negotiated the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
that established the 26-county Irish Free State
, was a regular guest at Cathal McGarvey's Gaelic Language sessions at An Stad. Griffith was well-respected by the other patrons of An Stad, as recorded by Oliver St. John Gogarty, who said of him "We could all believe in Arthur Griffith". According to Gogarty, Griffith began visiting An Stad in its early days, before 1900. Griffith may have initially come to An Stad in pursuit of furthering his favoured early cause the Gaelic League, but he had already formed a pro-Independence mindset, and not long after his documented time at An Stad, he founded Sinn Féin
.
, best known for introducing Gaelic sports to Argentina, was a key writer for the United Irishman
and a key international promoter of the Irish Independence cause. In 1902, he met at An Stad with McGarvey, Hyde, Griffith and others, and is credited with introducing the members of the United Irishman to the later founders of the Abbey Theatre.
, author of such plays as Juno and the Paycock
and The Plough and the Stars was a regular at An Stad during the early 20th century
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
for members of the Irish Nationalist movement and the Gaelic Revival
Gaelic Revival
The Gaelic revival was the late-nineteenth-century national revival of interest in the Irish language and Irish Gaelic culture...
in the early 20th century. It was frequented by notable historical figures, including Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...
, the first President of the Irish Free State, Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
, founder of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, author James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
(GAA) founder Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, poet William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, and many others.
Background
An Stad (IrishIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for 'The Stop') was founded at 30 North Frederick Street in Dublin in the late 19th century by Cathal McGarvey, author of the traditional Irish song Star of the County Down
Star of the County Down
"Star of the County Down" is an old Irish ballad set near Banbridge in County Down, in Ireland. The words are by Cathal McGarvey, 1866-1927, from Ramelton, County Donegal...
, as a meeting place for nationalists and Irish language enthusiasts. The activities that took place at An Stad included early morning pro-Independence rallies, late night tobacco smoking, Irish language storytelling and even reviews in Irish of works of art.
History
The house has existed since the very early 19th century, but it was just before 1900 that it began to have an association with the Gaelic revival and Irish nationalist movements. That was when Donegal native Cathal McGarvey established a tobacconist and pub on the premises. McGarvey was a well known humorist, storyteller and songwriter. His reputation spread quickly, and soon people were coming to An Stad at night to hear him tell stories, to smoke and to promote the Irish language. McGarvey's literary capabilities, anti-British attitude and magnetic personality soon attracted a mix of a literary and pro-nationalist audience. He established a guesthouse on the premises which helped to attract athletic visitors from the Irish countryside coming to Dublin to watch or play in the adjacent Croke ParkCroke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
sports ground. Among his guests was Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, founder of the GAA and the man after whom Croke Park's Cusack Stand was named.
As the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
gained prominence in the early 20th century, An Stad's role as a literary centre gradually declined. However, as the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
broke out in 1919, An Stad had a pivotal role as a chief guesthouse for republican activists, and is now a stop on Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's 'Rebel tour of Dublin'. Michael Collins stayed at An Stad on many occasions, and the house still has bullet holes over the inside front door where British troops fired warning shots after failing to find Collins during a raid.
After Irish independence from the United Kingdom, An Stad retained its role as a centre for the Gaelic Revival, with authors frequently reviewing works of poetry and prose in the Irish language. It retained this role at least until World War II. There is no evidence to suggest whether An Stad sided with Pro-Treaty or Anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
In 1938, a dissident Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA) group, in an attempt to force the Irish Government to fight for full Irish independence (the 1921 treaty established only a "Free State", retaining the King of the United Kingdom as head of state and keeping Ireland within the British Commonwealth), attempted unsuccessfully to destroy Nelson's Pillar
Nelson's Pillar
The Nelson Pillar , known locally as Nelson's Pillar or simply The Pillar, was a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson in the middle of O'Connell Street, Dublin...
on O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
in Dublin, less than a mile from An Stad, which they saw as a symbol of continued British sovereignty in Ireland. The IRA activists used An Stad as their safehouse, the perpetrators staying at and storing the gelignite at An Stad. The plan was cancelled at the last minute. Nelson's Pillar was eventually destroyed in 1966, but there is no evidence that they used An Stad as a safehouse at that time.
After World War II, An Stad does not appear to have had any more association with the nationalist movement, which in any event moved primarily to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
after Ireland declared a Republic and withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1948.
An Stad continued to operate as a guesthouse throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
James Joyce
James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
was a frequent guest of An Stad during his student years in Dublin. While many people tried to convince him of the value of the Gaelic revival and others tried to convince him of the value of the Nationalist movement, Joyce was interested in neither and deeply suspicious of both, and eventually left Ireland entirely. However, his time at An Stad did have one lasting influence on Irish Literary history. His Character 'The Citizen' in his landmark novel Ulysses
Ulysses
Ulysses is derived from Ulixes, the Latin name for Odysseus, a character in ancient Greek literature. For more on the name Ulysses, see Ulysses .Ulysses may also refer to:- Literature and film :...
is based on Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, whom Joyce met at An Stad. Several other patrons of An Stad, including Oliver St. John Gogarty
Oliver St. John Gogarty
Oliver Joseph St John Gogarty was an Irish poet, author, otolaryngologist, athlete, politician, and well-known conversationalist, who served as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel Ulysses....
, recall being impressed or influenced by Joyce.
Michael Collins
Michael CollinsMichael Collins
- Politics :* Michael Collins , Irish Labour party politician, Lord Mayor Of Dublin 1977–1978* Michael Collins , Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician...
was a frequent guest at An Stad under different circumstances. After the Irish War of Independence broke out, Collins and other IRA/Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
(IRB) members regularly hid at An Stad, and there are bullet holes in the house from a failed attempt by British agents to locate Collins in the house. Collins was very familiar with proprietor Mollie Gleeson, whom he asked to identify the body of Sean Treacy
Seán Treacy
Seán Treacy is a former Irish politician who was Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1973 to 1977 and from 1987 to 1997....
when he was killed by British agents in 1920. History books and personal accounts indicate that many different IRA agents under Collins's tutelage hid at An Stad when delivering messages or arms to Republican fighters. A Collins family lived at An Stad in the late 19th century, but they were not direct ancestors of Michael Collins. Anecdotally, in the film Michael Collins
Michael Collins (film)
Michael Collins is a 1996 historical biopic written and directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as General Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival....
, during a scene where Collins and Harry Boland
Harry Boland
Harry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
are seen cycling away from a British raid on leaders of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, An Stad is visible in the background.
Douglas Hyde
As early as the 1890s, Douglas HydeDouglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...
was advocating the cause of Irish Independence. According to An Stad regular Oliver St. John Gogarty, it was during his time at An Stad that Hyde first formulated his plan for an Irish Free State based on the idea of ignoring the British, an idea that later greatly influenced Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
and formed the basis of the first Dáil. Hyde's idea was that if the elected Irish members of the British Parliament instead formed a parliament in Dublin and created their own system of courts and of policing society, Ireland could rid itself of British rule. Hyde is regularly mentioned by other guests and was one of the first later-famous Irish people who frequented An Stad. His views were influential on the other patrons who viewed him as a senior member. Hyde later became the first President of the Irish Free State.
William Butler Yeats
Referring to his time with William Butler YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
at An Stad, Oliver St. John Gogarty said "I know no more beautiful face than 'Yeats when lit with song'" Yeats was a regular guest at An Stad as a young man in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His desire to open a theatre for Irish theatrical endeavours came to fruition with the opening of the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
. There is no record of Yeats continuing to frequent An Stad after this point.
Michael Cusack
Michael CusackMichael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, founder of the GAA, was a regular guest at An Stad and made a great impression on many of the people he met there, including James Joyce and Oliver St. John Gogarty, both of whom wrote about their meetings with Cusack there. Cusack was a regular at nearby Croke Park, and influenced the An Stad crowd with his beliefs in the promotion of Gaelic games as a unifying influence over the nationalist movement. In later years, the Gaelic Games movement would indeed play such a role, with nationalists playing amateur Gaelic football and hurling in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
and more formal games at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. One of the most famous incidents of the Irish War of Independence was when British troops in an armoured vehicle entered Croke Park and fired on players and spectators, killing 13 spectators and one player. Cusack is also the inspiration for the character "The Citizen" in James Joyce's novel Ulysses
Ulysses
Ulysses is derived from Ulixes, the Latin name for Odysseus, a character in ancient Greek literature. For more on the name Ulysses, see Ulysses .Ulysses may also refer to:- Literature and film :...
.
Arthur Griffith
Arthur GriffithArthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
, founder of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and leader of the delegation that negotiated the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
that established the 26-county Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, was a regular guest at Cathal McGarvey's Gaelic Language sessions at An Stad. Griffith was well-respected by the other patrons of An Stad, as recorded by Oliver St. John Gogarty, who said of him "We could all believe in Arthur Griffith". According to Gogarty, Griffith began visiting An Stad in its early days, before 1900. Griffith may have initially come to An Stad in pursuit of furthering his favoured early cause the Gaelic League, but he had already formed a pro-Independence mindset, and not long after his documented time at An Stad, he founded Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
.
William Bulfin
William BulfinWilliam Bulfin
William Bulfin was the fourth son in a family of nine boys and one girl, the children of William Bulfin, of Derrinlough, Birr, County Offaly, Ireland, and Ellen Grogan of Croghan, County Offaly....
, best known for introducing Gaelic sports to Argentina, was a key writer for the United Irishman
United Irishman
The United Irishman title has been a very popular newspaper title in Ireland and a number of newspapers have been published under the title.*...
and a key international promoter of the Irish Independence cause. In 1902, he met at An Stad with McGarvey, Hyde, Griffith and others, and is credited with introducing the members of the United Irishman to the later founders of the Abbey Theatre.
Sean O'Casey
Sean O'CaseySeán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
, author of such plays as Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924...
and The Plough and the Stars was a regular at An Stad during the early 20th century