Witnesses: Inside the Rising is the first book to d raw on official witness statements (taken in the late 1940s) and only released to the public in 2002. In its judicious use of the statements given by the foot-soldiers and second-line participants in the Rising, the book provides a unique perspective on the events of Easter 1916. From the volunteers walking the Royal canal from Meath to fight in Dublin, to the women fighting, smuggling guns and cooking for the insurgents in the G.P.O, Witnesses puts the reader next to taking part in this pivotal event in modern Irish history. Insights into controversial matters such as the decision to countermand the order for the Rising on its eve, the so-called “Castle document”, as well as the personal affections and jealousies of those involved, are all discussed in detail. Above all the book is told in a warm readable way. The book will feature an introduction by well-known historian and author Dr.Margaret McCurtain.

About The Author
Annie Ryan is a retired school teacher who is best known for her work championing the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. Her campaigning in relation to the state mental hospital in Portrane gained her national prominence and she ran in the 1997 general election as an independent candidate on a mental health issue platform.
Annie’s father Tom Harris took part in the Rising and was one of the witnesses interviewed in the 1940s. Nearly fifty years later the release of the records enabled her to read the accounts of her own father and hundreds of others of the events of Easter 1916 that were to prove a watershed in Ireland’s road to independence.