Connacht Tribune 9th April, 1966 p. 29
Image: Connacht Tribune
This piece of stone is a portion of one of the walls of the G.P.O. which was burned during the 1916 Easter Rising and it is now on public display at the Bank of Ireland, Eyre Square, Galway.
It was given to the bank for display purposes by Mr G. Nally of Kinvara. His mother came into possession of the stone soon after the Rising and later Mr. Nally took it with him across the Atlantic where it was displayed in America. Some years ago it was returned to this country.
The peculiar colour of the stone is explained by the fact that there is a good deal of glass solidified on the surface. This occurred when glass bottles and jars holding food supplies for the Volunteers occupying the G.P.O. melted when the building burned. Peas can be clearly seen still imbedded in the glass and stone. The piece weighs about two stone and is about one foot long. There are a number of similar unique souvenirs of the Battle of the G.P.O. still in existence in parts of the country but this is believed to be the only piece in the west of Ireland.
The Burren and Beyond 