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The interesting and unusual 1915 Mercantile Marine, 1916 Easter Rising Dublin G.P.O. Defender, Frongoch Internee, Irish War of Independence and Civil War Fighter group of six awarded to Section Leader P. J. Byrne, Irish Volunteers/Irish Republican Army, later Irish National Army British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Patrick J. Byrne); Ireland, Free State, 1916 Medal, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1941, with integral top riband bar; General Service Medal 1917-21, combatant’s version with Comrac bar, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1941, with integral top riband bar; Emergency Service Medal 1939-46, with Na Forsai Cosanta reverse, bronze, unnamed as issued, with integral top riband bar; Ireland, Republic, Commemorative Medal for the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising 1916-66, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1966, with integral top riband bar, nearly extremely fine or better (6) £3,000-£4,000 Footnote Patrick ‘Paddy’ Joseph Byrne was born in Dublin on 10 October 1894, the eldest of twelve surviving children of Peter and Catherine Byrne. He worked as a silversmith, an electrician and a crewman in merchant ships. From 1 January – 30 June 1915, Byrne sailed on the Ben Kingston to Alexandria in Egypt, thus qualifying for his British medals. Soon after his return, he was present as a member of ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion, Irish Volunteers, at a ceremonial lying-in-state at Dublin City Hall. His granddaughter told the Irish Times in 2016, ‘I had in my possession a photograph of my grandfather Patrick Joseph Byrne standing in uniform at the lying-in-state of O’Donovan Rossa, in 1915… He fought in the G.P.O. and bore the stretcher that carried James Connolly.’ Rossa was a veteran Fenian extremist who had died in the United States. The Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was attempting to seize control of the Irish Volunteers, repatriated his body in order to stage a great republican show at a lying-in-state at City Hall, Dublin, and a funeral at Glasnevin on 1 August 1915, events which attracted huge crowds and enormous publicity from the national and international press. The members of ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion, Irish Volunteers provided part of the Guard of Honour. It seems that Byrne joined the Irish Volunteers early on, in 1913 or 1914. Catherine (Kate), his younger sister, joined Cumann na mBan ‘early in 1915’ (Mrs Catherine Rooney’s (née Byrne) Witness Statement 648, hereafter referred to as ‘Kate Byrne’s Witness Statement 648’, refers). His younger brother Peter Sylvester joined Fianna Eireann in 1913 and participated in the landing of smuggled rifles at Howth in 1914.. The Easter Rising – carrying James Connolly on a stretcher to Dublin Castle During the Easter Rising, Byrne is recorded as having fought as an Irish Volunteer in the Cabra Bridge, General Post Office, O’Connell Street, Annesley Bridge, Fairview and Moore Street areas. This impressive list covers many of the places in north central Dublin where fighting took place. Byrne’s service as a defender at Republican Headquarters at the General Post Office (G.P.O.) is confirmed by his signature on the Jubilee Roll of Honour in 1966 and the acceptance by other members of the G.P.O. garrison that he had been present. The witness statement of Sean Prendergast (Witness Statement 755 refers) lists Byrne, Patrick J. and Flood, Sean as among 70 men from ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion who served during Easter Week 1916 in the Four Courts Area, which would add a seventh area of service to the ‘canonical six’ listed above. ‘C’ Company trained at 41 Parnell Square. On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, hundreds of men received their order to assemble too late; based on Kate Byrne’s Witness Statement, Byrne’s order arrived early enough for him to reach ‘C’ Company’s mobilisation point. He would have marched out with his Company and occupied the Four Courts (unless he was assigned to detached duty by an officer w