The Easter Rebellion 1916: Documenting the Most Dramatic Moments of History

In The book The Easter Rebellion 1916 A New Illustrated History by Conor McNamara, the authors purpose for writing the book was to use historical information such as eyewitness accounts, manuscripts, personal notes, and letters of the Easter Rebellion. By providing these crucial historical accounts, it gives the reader a more intimate look into the events that led up to the rebellion and the events that occurred through and into the end. While reading through the book, it was easy to see that the book was not trying to make an argument but simply using historical information from the rebellion to help the reader better understand the event.

One thing the book does extremely well of is setting for the rebellion. The book describes that on the morning of April 24, 1916 about 1,200 members of the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizens Army gathered at several locations in central Dublin. One thing that is certain is that there was little known about the rebel’s plan for fighting. However, their tactics involved a focus on defensive rather than offensive warfare. By occupying important buildings in Dublin, they handed the military initiative to their enemy who could then wait out the rebels that were held up in defensive positions. During the week of the rebellion it became apparent that the rebels lacked man power due to the failure to capture Dublin Castle, Trinity College and Westmoreland Street.

As for experience for the Volunteers during the rebellion, it varied. For example, several garrisons such as the Four Courts and City Hall they were subjected to heavy shelling, constant sniping and close quarter combat. . On the other hand, Jacob’s Factory enjoyed a quiet week. One Volunteer by the name of Vincent Byrne recalled that he “had a great time eating plenty of chocolate and biscuits”. From the reading however, you could say that the overall setting for the Easter Rebellion was chaotic for some garrisons and blood shed among both the rebels and their enemy.

As I stated above, the settings were different for each garrison as well were the events that they experienced. The events for the General Post Garrison involved the volunteers taking the General Post Office without difficulty. Eventually they were under constant sniper fire and shelling from the HMS Hela throughout the week but were spared a military assault. As for the events at City Hall, the siege started with the shooting of James O’Brien who was an unarmed constable. By Monday afternoon, City Hall had fallen under heavy fire and both commanding officers of the rebels were morally wounded. Finally, by Monday night, the military stormed City Hall and overwhelmed the rebels. In total, 485 civilians, 63 rebels, 128 military personnel and 3 police were killed during the week long Easter Rebellion.

During this time period of the Easter Rebellion, the political climate was surrounded by Home Rule, also known as self-government. Home Rule had been the center of Irish Politics. In 1913 Unionist in Ulster formed a militia in protest of the implementation of Home rule, while the Nationalist responded by forming their own militia in order to defend the constitutional rights of the Irish people. The nationalist movement was also seen as a component of a wider cultural awakening. John Redmond, the leader of the IPP found himself under pressure in order to demonstrate commitment to the Nationalist movement. He believed that the support of the war effort was the important focus because he believed Imperial Germany and military expansion threaten the freedom of Europe.

Even before the Easter Rebellion and throughout the early part of the 20th century, it is important to note the Anglo-Irish relationship. The book mentions the visit of King George V in 1911 and how it was viewed as successful. It mentions how he was greeted by crowds that lined the streets. The Irish Independent stated that Dubliners had come out as never before to cheer the visible sign of their own Imperial entity. At first you get a since that the Anglo-Irish relationship was well. However, the people inside the nationalist movement viewed the visit with fascinated contempt, concerned that the Irish were once more prostrating themselves before a British monarch. With the new perspective, you get a sense that the relationship in the nationalist movement with Britain was more hostile. They were tired of being humiliated and they wanted to break free of the rule of the country that had controlled them for centuries. They also felt that as long as there is no National Government in Ireland, the British royal visits should not be welcomed by the people of Ireland.

The rising too place during the most destructive war that was to date. The rising itself represented more than just the irrationalism of a small group or nationalist or of economic grievance. In conclusion, McNamara states that the hatred of England did not inspire the group who planned the rebellion, but instead it was a repudiation of the cultural and spiritual desolation wrought by the empire and the humiliation that it imposed on its subjects.