Seamus Rafter (24 January 1873 – 12 September 1918) was an Irishman who launched the Gaelic League in Enniscorthy,

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

. He was a commander in the Wexford Brigade of the Irish Republican Brotherhood during the failed 1916 Easter Rising in Enniscorthy.

Career

Rafter was born in Monalee,

Ballindaggin Ballindaggin, officially Ballindaggan (), is a small village in County Wexford, Ireland. The local Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC t ...

, Ireland. After the 1916 Rebellion in Enniscorthy, he was incarcerated in England at

Dartmoor prison HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor. The prison is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and is operated by ...

and sentenced to death; this sentence was later commuted to five years' imprisonment. After about one year, the rebels were released, and Rafter continued to recruit volunteers for his cause. He died on September the 12th 1918, of wounds he received from an accidental detonation of explosives he was manufacturing in his business premises which was intended to be used against the British forces."Enniscorthy: Heritage Trail"
''Enniscorthy Town Council Website'' He was waked in Enniscorthy Cathedral, and a parade of Irish Volunteers and the public marched to his last resting place in Ballindaggin Cemetery, five miles from Enniscorthy. A commemoration of his life was held in 1949.

Commemoration

In 1958, a granite statue of Rafter, representing participants in the Easter Rising, was erected in the Abbey Square in Enniscorthy. Séamus Rafter Bridge in Enniscorthy, built in 1991, was named for him. As was Rafter Street, also in Enniscorthy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafter, Seamus Irish rebels 1873 births 1918 deaths People of the Easter Rising Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood People from Enniscorthy