Dublin’s Target McConnells and An Post have teamed up on a first-of-its-kind initiative to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The campaign uses freshly painted red An Post postboxes dotted around Dublin city centre to tell forgotten stories from the rising in an interactive way.
Keep an eye out for one of the 10 postboxes that are turning from green to red throughout March, April and May.
Thanks to an initiative from An Post and Target McConnells, these red postboxes are becoming storytelling beacons, showing locals and tourists a piece of history that happened on that spot 100 years ago.
Each postbox carries instructions to free text a code to 50100. Doing so unlocks a specially created reenactment that brings some of the Rising’s less known stories to life. The stories are told via a cinematic reconstruction, delivered straight to your mobile phone.
From the Battle of Mount Street on Northumberland Road to wounded female sniper Margaret Skinnider at the Royal College of Surgeons, you can immerse yourself in some of the lesser known events of 1916 on the very spot that they happened.
Target McConnells Managing Director, Abi Moran, said;
“An Post are part of the fabric of Irish culture, so it’s a privilege to help tell their 1916 story. We believe that great stories require special attention, so we combined smartphone technology, innovative video techniques, and the help of the country’s leading historians to give these amazing events the audience they deserve. The end result is an easy-to-use experience that turns red postboxes into windows to history.”
Barney Whelan, An Post’s Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, said;
“Back in 1916, our red post boxes played witness to events that changed Ireland. That’s what makes this initiative a perfect way to introduce our ‘Witness History’ event, opening on 29th March at the GPO.”
Five of the stories were released on 21st March, marked by postboxes adorned in the same red paint as 100 years ago. The remainder will be released across April and May, and the stories can be viewed online here.