Edward (Ned) Daly, 1891-1916

Edward (Ned) Daly joined the Irish Volunteers on their foundation in November 1913, soon attaining the rank of captain. He studied military manuals and any other such texts he could find, soon becoming an authority on tactics and strategy. The company under his command was said to have greatly impressed certain senior officers at the landing of arms at Howth in July 1914. In March 1915, he was promoted to commandant of the 1st Battalion. By then he was probably already a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood for some years.

In the Rising, Daly and the 1st Battalion were assigned to hold the Four Courts and the surrounding area between the River Liffey and North Brunswick Street. This command occupied a strategic position on the River Liffey, as it controlled the main route leading from various military barracks to the west of the city into the city centre. The 1st Battalion was involved in some of the most intense fighting of the Rising. Nevertheless, Daly held out until Pearse’s surrender order reached him on Saturday 29 April. Ned Daly was tried by court-martial and executed by firing squad on Thursday, 4 May 1916.