Failure of Feat? Investigating the Elements of the Easter Rising

The “madness, glorious madness” of the Easter Rising of 1916, as described by O’Rahilly, is viewed by many as both a complete military and political failure. However, although the Rising ended with almost 500 dead, including civilians, alongside Irish rebels and British soldiers, and the leaders of the Rising, such as Pearse and Connolly, that had signed the Proclamation of the Provisional Government executed, I believe that there are elements of military and political success within the Easter Rising of 1916, the “revolution of intellectuals,” as Rees said, as well.

Firstly, the rebellion lasted much longer than the three days the rebels had anticipated, holding out numerous buildings across Dublin such as Boland’s Mill and the Jacob’s Biscuit Factory for a full week. The rebels also successfully maintained the element of surprise, and were able to force the British High Command to divert essential military forces to Ireland, when they were especially needed in the Somme Offensive, as the Rising took place in the height of WW1. The rebels knew that their “blood sacrifice,” as they called the Rising, came at a time when the British government could not afford to take its attention away from the war, which made it all the more difficult for the rebels’ opposition to deal with them efficiently; “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity,” as emphasised by this old Fenian slogan. The outbreak of war had been essential for the Rising, as recognised by Nowlan, who agrees that war “made it possible for the revolutionary action to be more than just mere speculation.” This also demonstrates that the fighting was serious enough to provoke a significant reaction from the British authorities, and allowed the rebels to achieve the martyrdom they were striving for, as demonstrated in the Proclamation with “we pledge our lives..” Wheatley also acknowledges this, stating that “the sheer scale of military repression could not have been better calculated to transform criminals into martyrs.” During the actual Rising itself, there were some notable military successes, such as the fierce fighting on Mount Street Bridge on the 26th April 1916. Just 10 rebels were killed during this event, in comparison to the 234 British soldiers that lost their lives during the same incident, despite the fact Connolly believed that the rebels were the ones “going out to be slaughtered.” Military successes such as this were what paved the way for future nationalist tactics, such as the IRA’s in the War of Independence and other confrontations. Finally, many of the individual rebel leaders showed their own militaristic talents, like Daly at the Four Courts, Mallin at St. Stephen’s Green and Ceannt at the South Dublin Union. Despite Littch describing the rebels’ “defensive tactics and pitched battle formation” as a “military embarrassment,” these individuals salvaged the credibility of the movement and ensured, in my opinion, that the 1916 Rising was not a military failure.

Although on one hand, I believe the Easter Rising of 1916 was not a military failure, on the other hand, I admit that there are certain elements of the Rising which may prompt some to view the movement as a military failure. One of these elements is certainly the fact that, despite losing far more men than the rebels did, the British crushed the rebellion with relative ease, using their powerful sailboat ‘Helga’ to sail up the River Liffey and fire up Sackville Street, devastating one of the rebels’ most important locations. Relying heavily on Sackville Street, which was destroyed by the 27th April, was also a mistake, as the rebels had no sufficient contingency plans and it left them with no option but to wait to surrender and defeat. The Rising was also mainly confined to Dublin, with just scattered outbreaks outside the city in Wexford and further West. Many may also argue that the rebels were doomed militarily from the outset, as their backing from the German military fell through, most likely due to WW1, ironic, considering that WW1, in favour of the rebels, helped to divert the already distracted British attention. Furthermore, the rebels’ plans were inadequate and disrupted their course of action, with hitches such as the capture of the Aud arms ship which held valuable weapons which may have helped the rebels fulfil their “striking in full confidence of victory,” as said in the Proclamation. The rebels’ plans were also based upon a static defence in urban strongpoints, meaning the rebels were at a disadvantage, surrounded isolated and overwhelmed by the British troops, who were moving through the streets with ease. There was also very little support for the rising outside of the 1200 men taking part in Dublin, out of a possible 11,000 Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army soldiers, despite the fact the Proclamation also patriotically states that Ireland “summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.” A lack of support perhaps led to another military failure, that of the rebels’ failure to capture Dublin Castle, which allowed the British authority in Ireland to remain intact and to be at the front-line, allowing them to respond quickly and efficiently to events. The rebels also failed to break up the Irish railway network, making it much easier for British troops to flow into Dublin and to outnumber the rebels 20:1. Connolly, who’s “socialism was too strong for his conservative heirs,” as stated by Edwards, was also wrong in his belief that the British wouldn’t bomb the economic heartland of Dublin, and soon, he found himself and his rebels being attacked with artillery fire from all directions and obliterated by machine guns at the GPO, Sackville Street and various other locations. Overall, the rebels failed to utilise the advantages they had in being familiar with the terrain in which their fight to “guarantee religious and civil liberty,” as promised in the Proclamation, took place, and so they succumbed to the various other elements which allows the Easter Rising of 1916 to be considered a military failure.

Alongside the Easter Rising of 1916 having military successes and failures, there are political elements to consider. I agree with the statement of the question that there was some political success with the movement, but there are political failures to address also, such as the failure of the rising to unite the people of Ireland. The peoples’ republicanism proved to be ephemeral, and by June 1922, the people were tired, and were then more willing to compromise than the leaders of 1916 ever had been, proving Edwards right that “the Republic claimed at Easter 1916 was unattainable: partition could not be avoided.” It would now take another generation before Ireland was prepared to cut its ties with Great Britain, the Commonwealth and the “alien government” the Proclamation speaks of, to reach the independent nation of “Pearse’s Gaelic Ireland” Edwards speaks of. The Easter Rising had failed to secure the Gaelicised Ireland for which Collins, MacDonagh and many others had died for. Another negative political impact of the Rising was that of the “gun’ being brought back into politics,” as Carson had been accused of years earlier by Rees. This would hinder the development of Irish politics for years to come. The nationalism which came after the Rising was much more conservative and inward-looking than it had been in the period before the movement, with the political success of DeValera, one of the rebels who had escaped execution thanks to his quarter-American status, leaving Ireland in a socially and economically backward position. The Rising also failed to address the divide that existed between the nationalists and unionists, and nationalists were especially “disenchanted by this point, from the war,” as Rees states, most likely from Redmond’s disappointing “sincere and genuine support” of the war and conscription, as stated by Bew. The Rising simply enhanced the tension, and almost a century after the Rising, the goal of a United Ireland still remains a republican aim.

Despite the numerous political failures of the movement, there are some political successes to consider regarding the Easter Rising 1916. The Rising, only emphasised further by the 16 executions it ended with, gave a fresh burst of enthusiasm to the republicanism of the era as only a “blood sacrifice,” as the rebels called it, could. The martyrdom began a process which turned the constitutional nationalists of Ireland against legal means and in favour of republicanism, albeit only temporarily. The Rising also produced Sinn Fein, the deterioration of the IPP, the republican victory in the 1918 December election and the establishment of the Dail Eirann in January 1919. This new republican leadership, headed by Eamonn DeValera and Michael Collins, showed that the republican movement was capable of holding its own politically and militarily for the next five years, forcing the British government to consider negotiations for the first time ever. Overall, the rising gave rise to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921, and in the bigger picture, the creation of a 26-county Irish republic in 1949.

In conclusion, although the Easter Rising of 1916 indeed had military failures and political successes, there are just as many military successes and political failures to consider too, in my opinion.