The main hall of the GPO in Dublin was packed as O’Brien Press launched the last two books in the wonderful Sixteen Lives series, about the leaders and men of the Rising who were executed.

The GPO – what a fitting venue to launch Patrick Pearse by Ruan O’Donnell, Thomas Kent by Meda Ryan and 1916-The Rising Handbook by Lorcan Collins! Lorcan not only conceived the informative Sixteen Lives series, but also edited it – alongside Ruan O’Donnell. Justice Susan Denham did the honours by officially launching the books.

Everyone present could not help but reflect on the past and felt very privileged to be there. The GPO will soon open its new 1916 Visitors Centre. With huge numbers expected, it can be pre-booked. Authors Conor Kostick and Lorcan Collins are also kept very busy with the success of their Rebellion walking tours in Dublin.

Sixteen Lives has been a huge project undertaken by publishers O’Brien Press and they commissioned a number of academics, historians and a few 1916 relatives to write the individual books over the past few years.

The Sixteen Lives series is a excellent resource for all those interested in 1916 and to my mind, the collection should be an essential addition to every secondary school library in the country.