Mauser model rifle, which belonged to Tom Clarke and was imported as part of the Howth gun running in 1914. This Mauser Rifle belonged to Thomas Clarke (1857-1916, b. on the Isle of Wright). It was one of the first rifles offloaded at Howth Pier as part of the Howth Gun Running in July 1914. Immediately after the gun running Thomas Clarke brought this rifle to Limerick where he presented it to his old friend and prison comrade (and uncle of his wife), John Daly. Clarke was on the military committee of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which planned the Easter Rising in 1916.



The Mauser rifle is named after its German designer Peter Paul Mauser. This model from 1871 is a powerful single-shot rifle, which was fired with black powder cartridges. In 1916, the 1871 Mauser rifle was technically outdated. The rebels were both poorly armed and outnumbered by the British Army in Easter week 1916.