In the week following Easter 1916, fewer than 2,000 Dubliners, serving with others from across Ireland, went into action in a fight that turned out to be against overwhelming odds. Many would die, many were taken prisoner, but most would survive. For much of the week, they saw little action, with the decisive onslaught coming towards its end. In years to come, some regarded them as heroes. They were the men of the 8th and 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers of the 16th (Irish) Division. The overwhelming odds were in the form of a German gas attack, and they were fighting at Hulluch in Belgium. Yet for most of Ireland, the true heroes of Easter 1916 were those who fought in a Rising against British rule and whose story could be told in the same way.