The Abbey Theatre & the 1916 Rising

A small plaque unveiled in the foyer of the Abbey Theatre in 1966 commemorates the Abbey Theatre staff who took part in the Easter Rising of 1916. Many of those listed had a long association with the theatre.  They include actors Sean Connolly, the first rebel to be killed in the Rising, Máire Ní Shiubhlaigh, Helena Molony and Arthur Shields, usherette Ellen Bushell, prompter Barney Murphy and scenic artist and occasional stagehand Peadar Kearney. The quote ‘It is a hard service they take that help me’ is from Kathleen Ni Houlihan by W.B. Yeats.