A Mosin-Nagant M1891 rifle with ramrod. Second issue Russian made with German conversion after capture by German soldier.

During the First World War Ireland was a united country; however, there were religious and cultural tensions which the Germans realised they may be able to capitalise on to distract the British war effort.
This rifle was one of 20,000 captured Russian rifles sent by Germany to aid the Irish Republican Rising of 1916. It was intended that the rifles and other munitions be landed on the coast of County Kerry, from a vessel masquerading as a Norwegian steamer the Aud. However on the 22 April 1916 the Aud was intercepted by a British warship and scuttled by her crew while being escorted into Cork Harbour; the crew were interned for the rest of the war. The wreck was subsequently depth-charged, but not before Royal Navy divers had recovered some of its cargo - possibly including this rifle.

The SS Aud was built in Hull as the SS Castro, a cargo vessel. In August 1914 she was captured by the German Navy and renamed the SMS Libau, before later impersonating the SS Aud.