Easter Rising

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Easter Rising (24 Apr.–1 May 1916) An armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland. The secret Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood intended it to be a national rebellion on Easter Sunday, 23 April. But a series of organizational and planning blunders meant that supporting arms organized by Casement did not arrive. The rising was called off, but Patrick Pearse and others decided to proceed nevertheless, on Easter Monday. The confusion meant that the nationwide rising failed, while the Dublin one proceeded. Volunteers lead by Pearse and members of the Irish Citizen Army lead by James Connolly occupied the General Post Office in Sackville Street, which became the headquarters of the rising. Pearse announced the Proclamation of an Irish Republic, reading out the document and posting it around the GPO. Various other parts of central Dublin administration were attacked and occupied, including the Four Courts, Liberty Hall, City Hall, and various strategic hospitals and factories. The British army counter-attacked fully on 25 April, recovering several important buildings, and cordoning off many of the rebels' communication avenues. British reinforcements began to arrive from Belfast and other postings, and on 27 April the British started shelling the GPO and the Four Courts. Pearse and his rebels retreated from the burning GPO to Moore Street on 28 April, and on 29 April they surrendered. Rebels were captured, imprisoned, and tried. Martial law was proclaimed and the rising's leaders court-martialled. Pearse and fourteen other leaders were executed between 3 and 12 May. Although the rising itself was a dismal failure, Pearse and his fellow leaders quickly entered popular mythology as martyrs for Irish nationhood. The harsh British reaction to the rising prompted such widespread anti-British feelings as to make continued British rule in Ireland impossible within five years.

Easter Rising (1916). The Easter Rising was planned by the Irish Republican Brotherhood's military council to take advantage of British participation in the world war by staging a nation-wide Irish rebellion. Sir Roger Casement was sent to Germany to raise a prisoner-of-war force and to win German arms and ammunition. The plans collapsed due to British intelligence discovery of American links and confusion over time of arrival of arms from Germany. The German arms ship was scuttled off the Kerry coast and with it any chance of a successful rebellion in the provinces. Eoin MacNeill, chief of staff of Irish Volunteers, then countermanded the mobilization orders given by Pearse. The leaders of the IRB military council, including James Connolly and his citizen army, went ahead with the rebellion by taking over various buildings around the centre of Dublin. Outside the General Post Office, their GHQ, Pearse read out the provisional declaration of an Irish Republic; five days later, after British shelling of centres of resistance, the rebels surrendered. Leaders were executed in stages, and over 2,000 interned in Britain. While there was little overt support for the rising at the time, British actions gave it a retrospective significance. Traditional nationalists have depicted it as a decisive event in awakening Irish nationalist consciousness and have seen it as the realization of Pearse's concept of blood-sacrifice. Lately, historians have criticized the use of violence with only minority support and have questioned whether the rising was central to the achievement of independence.

Michael Hopkinson

Easter Rising (April 1916) An insurrection in Dublin when some 2000 members of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army took up arms against British rule in Ireland. The IRISH REPUBLICAN BROTHERHOOD had planned the uprising, supported by the SINN FEIN Party. A ship carrying a large consignment of arms from Germany was intercepted by the British navy. Roger CASEMENT of the IRB, acting as a link with Germany, was arrested soon after landing from a German U-boat. The military leaders, Pádraic Pearse and James Connolly, decided nevertheless to continue with the rebellion. The General Post Office in Dublin was seized along with other strategic buildings in the city. The Irish Republic was proclaimed on 24 April, Easter Monday, and a provisional government set up with Pearse as President. British troops forced their opponents to surrender by 29 April. The rising had little public support at first. Many Irishmen were serving in British forces during World War I. 16 leaders of the rebellion were executed and over 2000 men and women imprisoned. The executions led to a change of feeling in Ireland and in the 1918 general election the Sinn Fein (Republican) Party won the majority vote.

Easter Rising (April 24, 1916) Rebellion by Irish nationalists against British rule, led by Patrick Pearse of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and James Connolly of Sinn Féin. The British Navy intercepted an arms shipment from Germany and arrested Roger Casement (the IRB's contact with Germany), but the insurrection went ahead as planned. On Easter Monday, c.1500 volunteers seized buildings in Dublin, including the General Post Office, and proclaimed Ireland a republic. By April 29, the British had crushed the rising. Sixteen of the ringleaders were executed, and 2000 people imprisoned. In 1917, Eamon De Valera was granted an amnesty and nationalist sentiment produced an electoral victory for Sinn Féin.

Easter Rising (1916). The Easter Rising was planned by the Irish Republican Brotherhood's military council to take advantage of British participation in the world war. The plans collapsed due to British intelligence discovery of American links and confusion over time of arrival of arms from Germany. The leaders of the IRB went ahead with the rebellion by taking over various buildings in Dublin. Outside the General Post Office, their GHQ, Pearse read out the provisional declaration of an Irish Republic; five days later, the rebels surrendered. Leaders were executed in stages, and over 2,000 interned. While there was little overt support for the rising at the time, British actions gave it a retrospective significance.