Subjects of iconic century-old photograph had links to Easter Rising and nationalist organisations

The testimony of a man aged 91, who died earlier this year, has provided an intriguing insight into the strong republican affiliations of a group of set dancers photographed at a crossroads in Ireland more than 100 years ago.

The iconic photograph came to symbolise social activity in early 20th century rural Ireland, yet little had been known for many years about the participants.

The late Manus O’Brien, a retired CIE worker whose mother Abina (Gobnait) is a young girl in the photo, identified several of the dancers to his relatives, retired school teachers Jim O’Malley and Richard Pardi, shortly before his passing.