S Street Rising: Crack, Murder, and Redemption in D.C.

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pm: At the Four Courts along the Liffey a troop from the 5 th and 12 th Lancers was ambushed by Daly’s men, who were the first engage wi th British troops. The troop had been escorting an ammunition convoy along the Nor th Quays when they were forced to take refuge in nearby buildings because of rebel fire.

Continued fighting around the Four Courts with the rebels now under intense fire from shells being launched from the roof of Jervis Street Hospital. More than a-third of those applications were to convert a shop into a restaurant, café or a takeaway. The high street was becoming a place for hot chocolate over homewares. The British have taken buildings across the street from rebel positions on North King Street. The two sides are firing at each other at point blank range. Dias didn’t plan to live high up, and never uses his tiny balcony. He hates heights. “I’m OK sitting here, but I can’t go out there. They call this the haunted flat – there’s been a suicide from that balcony.”

Fighting continues around the Four Courts, with rebels setting fire to buildings in an attempt to hamper the military advance. British troops again try to take rebel positions on North King Street, again they fail. In fierce fighting the British make several attempts throughout the afternoon to dislodge the rebels in Langan’s Pub. Casualty numbers on both sides are growing.

Inside 16 Moore Street the leaders discuss whether to continue fighting or seek surrender terms. Pearse records that by a majority vote the leaders decided to seek surrender terms to prevent further slaughter of the civilian population. A further wave of Sherwood Foresters is sent down Northumberland Road in an attempt to dislodge Malone and Grace. The attempt fails and more men are killed and injured. For a growing number of city dwellers, day-to-day life can be a little different. The payoff for peace and endless views can be five-minute waits for the lift at rush hour – and even sunburn. “You could get tanned in winter if you sat right by the window: there’s a bit of a greenhouse effect,” the owner of a 64th-floor apartment above Chicago tells me. Vertigo can be another danger. At the top of a tower in east London, former taxi driver Sammy Dias rarely uses his balcony: “I don’t like heights, and if people go out and start messing about, I can get quite angry,” he says from a safe distance inside.

‘Absolutely unavoidable in such a business as this’

We meet several prostitutes, or “strawberries,” like Champagne and Carrie. One of the more touching moments is when Castaneda confides his shame to both for relapsing. We meet a MPD Homicide commander embroiled in toxic Barry-era politics--who's also at the center of the 1994 MPD Headquarters shooting--and several others who play a part in Castaneda’s redemptive journey. A police cordon was set up around the Irish parliament building, Leinster House, and officers from the Garda Mounted Support Unit were in nearby Grafton Street. By mid-morning all rebel held positions are surrounded by British troops. Most positions are being shelled, and all locations are seeing intense sniper fire.