No special precautions appear to have been taken against the contingency of an immediate rising.

On Monday a very large proportion of the officers from the Curragh and the Dublin garrison were at the Fairyhouse races.

In the Castle itself there was only the ordinary guard.
Redmond at this date was also in London.

His lack of apprehension is sufficiently indicated by the fact that his son and daughter were both at the races, and drove up unknowingly to an armed barricade.

Had he been in authority and known, as the Government knew on Saturday, that the Irish Volunteers expected and had arranged for the landing of a heavy cargo of arms on Good Friday, and that a general parade of their men had been ordered for Easter, I hope that he would have either had troops in the utmost readiness to move, or have put strong guards in places of importance.