Secret police surveillance files detail 1916 Rising leaders’ activity

Century-old secret police files released to the public for the first time reveal the efforts made to monitor suspected revolutionaries in the 11 months leading up to the 1916 Rising.

Daily surveillance reports produced by detectives from the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) show they trailed key figures day and night in an ultimately futile attempt to gather intelligence.

The first five reports, for June 1-5, 1915, have been published on the National Archives website and new batches will be published weekly until April 20 next year, when the last report was filed just four days before the Easter Rising.