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1916 Defence of Trinity College presentation cup
A silver cup awarded to Cadet George J. Mathews, Dublin University Officer Training Corps, hallmarked for Dublin,
1916, by West & Co. Together with three curfew passes, dated 1st, 3rd and 9th May, issued to Cadet Mathews by Dublin
University OTC; Mathew’s Officer Training Corps service record mentioning his active part in the suppression of the
Sinn Fein outbreak”; and a pass with rail ticket issued to him while serving in the Royal Air Force.”
On 24 April, 1916 when gunfire erupted at various locations across Dublin, the gates of Trinity College were closed and
locked and all available members of the OTC were deployed around the perimeter and on the rooftops. For the week
of the Easter Rising, the OTC assisted by regular British Army troops and a group of 14 ‘Colonial’ soldiers from Australia,
Canada, South Africa and New Zealand defended the College. Their presence may or may not have saved the College
from incursion by Irish Volunteers, but it almost certainly saved the businesses surrounding it from looting, damage or
destruction. It was these businesses who funded the purchase of two large silver cups and 138 miniature replica cups
fromWest & Sons Grafton Street to present to the OTC and its members.
Estimate €2,000-€3,000 £1470-£2210
Large Image & Place Bid 186