During the Easter Rising, about 100 Irish Volunteers led by Thomas MacDonagh occupied Jacob’s Biscuit Factory, a large and strategically important building in Dublin. Its position and towers made it useful for observation and controlling key routes into the city.

Although there was some early fighting, the garrison faced little major attack and was mostly bypassed by British forces, though it came under occasional fire. Relations with local residents were tense, partly due to fears of danger and the presence of workers’ families.

MacDonagh eventually surrendered nearby, and parts of the factory were later looted. After the Rising, three members of the garrison were executed, and most of the factory was later demolished, with only small remnants remaining today.

Jacob's factory is now the site of the National Archives of Ireland.