“Howth” Mauser 1871: Irish Volunteers Gunrunning into Dublin

On July 14th, 1914 the 50 foot pleasure yacht “Asgard” sailed into Howth harbor in Dublin with its cabin completely filled with arms. It has 900 Mauser 1871 rifles and 29,000 rounds of ammunition for the Irish Volunteers, and there is a crowd of a thousand people turned out to unload them – just daring the British authorities to try a crackdown. These rifles would ultimately become some of the most iconic weapons used in the 1916 Easter Rising.

Video on Ulster gunrunning: