Eileen Keane

On Wednesday 26th April 1916 thousands of soldiers from the 59th division landed at Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire). A 2000 strong column marched towards the city. Mount St. Bridge was guarded by a platoon of Volunteers under Michael Malone. The British soldiers were slaughtered as they tried to push forward, and it took 30 hours of fierce fighting before they captured the bridge.

In the middle of the fighting a teenage girl, Louisa Nolan, ran out onto the bridge with bullets flying on all sides, calling for the

shooting to stop. The Volunteers stopped firing and the British followed suit, while Louisa and another woman carried a wounded soldier to safety and others came forward to help them. Then a group of doctors and nurses from St. Patrick Duns hospital came forward with a Red Cross flag to bring the wounded to the hospital nearby.

Louisa Nolan was presented with a Military medal at Buckingham Palace on 2nd February 1917 in recognition of her heroic action.