Historical links revealed in south and east Belfast centenary launch

THE programme of 1916 centenary events for south and east Belfast was unveiled on 3 February.

Belfast republican Bobby Storey was the main speaker on the night.

Flanked by young people kitted out in historical Irish Volunteers uniforms, he outlined the story of the Corr sisters who travelled to Dublin for the Rising only to be sent back to Belfast but who remained active through the revolutionary period.

● Among the audience were relatives of Charlie and Ailbhe Monahan, Winifred Carney and the Corr sisters, Elizabeth and Nell

The name Joseph Campbell wouldn't be well-known but he was another man who played a role in the events of the time, including fighting in the Tan War that followed.

Charlie Monahan's name is better known due to his death in a car crash as he drove to the Banna Strand to rendezvous with Casement but few would know that his brother Ailbhe was sent to Galway, where he fought alongside Liam Mellows.

The Christian Brothers School where the launch was held, historian Tom Hartley (pictured) recounted, was used by the IRA during the Tan War as a base for a raid on the Royal Irish Constabulary's Musgrave Street barracks in which they tried to commandeer a Lancia armoured car.

This centenary year will bright to light more stories of the extraordinary deeds and times in Ireland's fight for freedom.