The Irish Band of Brothers

Captain Christopher Poole formed an important part of the honour guard during the iconic raising of the harped flag over Liberty Hall in the run up to Easter 1916. This account of that event is from “The History of the Irish Citizen Army” by R.M.Fox (1943); “In front of the hall itself, the Citizen Army cleared a space and formed up on three sides of the square. Inside the square was the women’s section, the boy scouts corps under Captain W. Carpenter and the Fintan Lalor Pipe Band.  Captain C.Poole and a colour guard of 16 men escorted the colour bearer, Miss Mollie O’Reilly of the Womens Worker’s Union who was also a member of the Citizen Army. With her were three young girl dancers known as ‘The Liberty Trio’. The flag was placed on a pile of drums in the centre of the square. Commandant James Connolly took up his position with Vice-Commandant Mallin on his left and Lieutenant Markievicz on his right. The colour bearer advanced from her escort, received the colours from the c

The RSCI recently had an exhibition showcasing the battle of St. Stephen's Green during Easter Week of 1916. Amongst the trove of profiles and dioramas on display were some possessions and a large wall-sized profile of Christopher Poole and his role during the rising. Below are scans and photos of the exhibits focused on Christopher Poole. The Exhibition is currently doing rounds around Ireland.

In the days following the ceasefire that ended the 1916 Rising, many of the members of the Irish Citizen Army were ferried over to Frongoch Prison in Wales where they were interred as a result of their service to a nationalist Ireland. Being a Staff Captain and 3rd in Command of the organisation, Christopher Poole was no exception to this mass arrest; his service as 2nd in Command at Stephen's Green made him one of the more detailed prisoners amongst those detained.

Christopher Poole, before participating in any nationalist cause, was a member of the British Army's 2nd East Yorkshire Regiment, fighting in the Tirah Campaign and the Second Boer War. Below you will find the terms of his enlistment and discharge, with focus on his physical description, position while serving and record of transfers up until his discharge. (Images are used under license by National Archives London.)

In tandem with Irish director and film producer, Marcus Howard, the Poole family have recorded 2 documentaries relating to the Pooles of 1916 and their contributions to society at the time. Below you can see a long form documentary on the members of the Poole family who fought during 1916, featuring interviews from the Poole family.

In tandem with Irish director and film producer, Marcus Howard, the Poole family have recorded 2 documentaries relating to the Pooles of 1916 and their contributions to society at the time. Below you can see a short documentary on the tragedy of Joe Poole, featuring interviews from the Poole family