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The General Post Office in Dublin was a crucial communications hub during the First World War. It handled thousands of letters – from soldiers, civilians and prisoners of war. Women whose husbands served at the front collected their separation allowances there. And the office was a telegrams hub – a vital form of communication at the time, especially between the Westminster government and its Dublin-based officials.

In 1916 republicans fighting for Irish independence took over the GPO. Much of the building’s interior was destroyed and there was fierce fighting in the surrounding streets. When the Irish Republic was established, the GPO became the headquarters of An Post, the Irish postal service. It remains an iconic building to this day.

Location: The Gpo, Dublin.53°20'58.1"N 6°15'38.7"W
Image: The GPO after the Easter Rising in 1916. The interior has been destroyed by fire.
Image courtesy of Dublin City Library & Archive