On July 26, 1914, the Irish Volunteers successfully smuggled 1,500 Mauser rifles and ammunition into Howth Harbour aboard Erskine Childers' yacht, the Asgard. This audacious daylight operation aimed to arm the nationalist paramilitary force in response to the Ulster Volunteers' earlier gun-running. The event sparked a confrontation with police and military forces, leading to the Bachelor's Walk massacre, where British soldiers fired on an unarmed crowd, killing four civilians. The Howth gun-running significantly escalated tensions and bolstered Irish nationalist resolve.
