Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29 April, although sporadic fighting continued briefly. [197] There is now an annual ceremony at Easter attended by relatives of those who fought, by the President, the Taoiseach, ministers, senators and TDs, and by usually large and respectful crowds. He was later executed for treason. The following presents a look at the of events of the 1916 Easter rising & why a failed rebellion has such symbolic power for the people of Ireland. By the end of the week, British strength stood at over 16,000 men. [142] McGarry writes that the Irish Citizen Army "were more ruthless than Volunteers when it came to shooting policemen" and attributes this to the "acrimonious legacy" of the Dublin Lock-out.[142]. [150] After Connolly's execution, Maxwell bowed to pressure and had the other death sentences commuted to penal servitude. Some feared that a rebellion might do more harm than good and give the British government an excuse to renege on its promise. The desire for Irish self-determination grew stronger and it reached far beyond a few rebel extremists. [198] He commented on the role of Patrick Pearse, the martyrdom controversy and the Proclamation's reference to "our gallant [German] allies in Europe". The British troops, after taking some casualties, managed to regroup and launch several assaults on the position before they forced their way inside and the small rebel force in the tin huts at the eastern end of the Union surrendered. The ICA would also play a large part in the Easter Rising. [25] The Military Council kept its plans secret, so as to prevent the British authorities learning of the plans, and to thwart those within the organisation who might try to stop the rising. [152], Sir Roger Casement was tried in London for high treason and hanged at Pentonville Prison on 3 August. [133] The British Army suffered their biggest losses in the Battle of Mount Street Bridge on Wednesday, when at least 30 soldiers were killed. Countess Markiewicz and Éamon de Valera were also sentenced to death along with several others, but they were granted a stay of execution. Responsibility for the planning of the rising was given to Tom Clarke and Seán Mac Diarmada. The British summoned 18-pounder field artillery from Athlone and shelled the rebel positions, destroying the barricades. In 1912 he persuaded the British Parliament to pass a Home Rule Bill giving Ireland limited autonomy. [61], Around midday, a small team of Volunteers and Fianna Éireann members swiftly captured the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park and disarmed the guards. [144] Ninety were sentenced to death. Tom Clarke was a veteran nationalist and one of the early members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. As they were led to jail, the rebels were jeered by the people of Dublin who felt the Rising was ill-timed and disloyal to the 200,000 Irish soldiers who were fighting on Britain’s side during the war. [122] Two of them were escorted by the British to Arbour Hill Prison, where Pearse confirmed the surrender order. [52] In at least two incidents, at Jacob's[68] and Stephen's Green,[69] the Volunteers and Citizen Army shot dead civilians trying to attack them or dismantle their barricades. He went a stage further and issued an order to his Irish Volunteers which read: Volunteers completely deceived. Pearse asked Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell, a member of Cumann na mBhan who had nursed the wounded in the GPO, to deliver a notice of their surrender. They seized weapons and planted explosives, but the blast was not loud enough to be heard across the city. As the executions continued, public opinion began to turn as people felt the punishment was too harsh. The German captain, Lt Karl Spindler, scuttled the ship rather than let it fall into the hands of the British and so the arms the rebels were relying upon were sent to the bottom of the sea. British troops advanced on the building, supported by snipers and machine-gun fire, but the Volunteers put up stiff resistance. [citation needed], One incident was the 'Portobello killings'. The nationalist Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was among the first to point out that enough food was exported from Ireland to have avoided the famine and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Several more leaders met the same fate over the following week. After less than one week of armed conflict, the nationalist rebels had surrendered unconditionally to the British forces, and the uprising was repressed through the execution of its major leaders. At 12 noon on Easter Monday 1916, the leaders of the Rising and their collection of troops from the IRB, Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army assembled at Liberty Hall and set off to take control of key strategic locations in Dublin. Easter Rising 1916. Pearse and the other leaders had hoped that the Volunteers would rally once the rebellion began but that didn’t happen. [139] There were also instances of British troops killing unarmed civilians out of revenge or frustration: notably in the North King Street Massacre, where fifteen were killed, and at Portobello Barracks, where six were shot. Irish Volunteer units mobilised on Easter Sunday in several places outside of Dublin, but because of Eoin MacNeill's countermanding order, most of them returned home without fighting. As admiration for the rebels grew, it had become by mid-1916 a ‘magic name’ in Ireland, instantly recognisable with powerful appeal. Their only compromise was to delay the start by one day until 24 April, Easter Monday. [189], Ireland's first commemorative coin was also issued in 1966 to pay tribute to the Easter Rising. They remained there for the rest of the week, exchanging fire with British forces. [83], The rebels had failed to take either of Dublin's two main railway stations or either of its ports, at Dublin Port and Kingstown. The Easter Rising had brought a change to Ireland and there was a growing sense that the will of the people could not be denied. It began hearings on 18 May under the chairmanship of Lord Hardinge of Penshurst. [59], Elsewhere, some of the headquarters battalion under Michael Mallin occupied St Stephen's Green, where they dug trenches and barricaded the surrounding roads. Sixteen of the Rising's leaders were executed from May 1916, but the insurrection, the nature of the executions, and subsequent political developments ultimately contributed to an increase in popular support for Irish independence. In the interest of unity, MacNeill allowed Redmond some control over the Volunteers. '", United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, "Department of the Taoiseach – Easter Rising", "Time to celebrate a centenary of Irish broadcast heroes", "Nurse Margaret Keogh, the first civilian fatality of the Rising", "Statement by Joseph Sweeney Curious Journey: An Oral History of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution", Heuston's Fort – The Battle for the Mendicity Institute, 1916, "The North King Street Massacre, Dublin 1916", Seán McLoughlin – the boy commandant of 1916. By the time British reinforcements arrived in the west, the Rising there had already disintegrated. It was an edited version of a real document outlining British plans in the event of conscription. The disagreement over the terms of the treaty led to the Irish Civil War with former comrades now pitted against each other. [193] A Labour Party TD, David Thornley, embarrassed the government (of which Labour was a member) by appearing on the platform at the ceremony, along with Máire Comerford, who had fought in the Rising, and Fiona Plunkett, sister of Joseph Plunkett.[194]. Confronted by over 20,000 British troops, many of Irish nationality, the rebels had ― Tim Pat Coogan, 1916: The Easter Rising. The Easter Rising resulted in at least 485 deaths, according to the Glasnevin Trust. A provisional Irish government was proclaimed. [23] Clarke and Mac Diarmada joined it shortly after. [199], A pedestrian staircase that runs along 53rd Avenue, from 65th Place to 64th Street in west Queens, New York City was named 'Easter Rising Way' in 2016. [200], Plaque commemorating the Easter Rising at the General Post Office, Dublin, with the Irish text in Gaelic script, and the English text in regular Latin script, Memorial in Cobh, County Cork, to the Volunteers from that town, Mural in Belfast depicting the Easter Rising of 1916, Memorial in Clonmacnoise commemorating men of County Offaly (then King's County) who fought in 1916: James Kenny, Kieran Kenny and Paddy McDonnell are named, Flag and copy of the Proclamation in Clonegal, The Easter Rising lasted from Easter Monday 24 April 1916 to Easter Saturday 29 April 1916. The cavalrymen retreated and were withdrawn to barracks. The rebels hoped that Germany would be prepared to help. The next morning, Colthurst had Skeffington and the two journalists shot by firing squad in Portobello Barracks. Michael Davitt and others formed the Land League to demand better conditions for tenants. It had once had about 40,000 members but this had declined to less than 2,000 as Ireland entered the 20th century. Elsewhere, they hit civilians with their rifle butts to drive them off. The rebels seized key buildings across Dublin but didn’t have enough soldiers to hold them because of Eoin MacNeill’s order cancelling operations. There can be no doubt that the response of the British government to the Rising contributed measurably to the further alienation of Irish public opinion. They agreed that they would launch a rising together at Easter and made Connolly the sixth member of the Military Council. O’Donovan Rossa and others wanted full Irish inpendence and formed the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) to achieve it by force if necessary. In a few years they will see the meaning of what we tried to do.” [13] British Army officers threatened to resign if they were ordered to take action against the UVF. In fact, they had nothing to do with it, although they became its main political beneficiaries. I think the Easter rising was a failure because there were many reasons for it. 16,000 British troops and 1,000 armed RIC in Dublin by the end of the week. [166] The report, published on 26 June, was critical of the Dublin administration, saying that "Ireland for several years had been administered on the principle that it was safer and more expedient to leave the law in abeyance if collision with any faction of the Irish people could thereby be avoided. [6][7] This was sometimes referred to by the generic term Sinn Féin,[8] with the British authorities using it as a collective noun for republicans and advanced nationalists. Countess Markievicz (1868-1927) was originally from the Sligo-based Anglo-Irish Gore-Booth family. In addition, because of the interception of the German arms aboard the Aud, the provincial Volunteer units were very poorly armed. Some wore Irish Volunteer and Citizen Army uniforms, while others wore civilian clothes with a yellow Irish Volunteer armband, military hats, and bandoliers. Seven men from different backgrounds began to plan a rebellion. The rebellion was quickly crushed by … Memorials to the heroes of the Rising are to be found in other Irish cities, such as Limerick. After a two-hour battle, the British were forced to retreat and several soldiers were captured. [45] By the time Birrell cabled his reply authorising the action, at noon on Monday 24 April 1916, the Rising had already begun. [114] A firefight followed, and the RIC surrendered after the Volunteers attacked the building with a homemade grenade. His brother, Willie took over the running of the school as the preparations for the 1916 Easter Rising drew nearer. In Dublin, the combined forces of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army … City Hall was taken from the rebel unit that had attacked Dublin Castle on Tuesday morning. However, several hundred Volunteers joined the Rising after it began. The 1916 Medal was issued in 1941 to people with recognised military service during the Rising. Connolly had been wounded twice and was weak with pain. Huge crowds lined the route and gathered at the graveside. [114] The Volunteers moved against the RIC barracks in Swords, Donabate and Garristown, forcing the RIC to surrender and seizing all the weapons. He had no military background but made a point of studying street warfare tactics. The surrender document read: In order to prevent the further slaughter of Dublin citizens, and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers now surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, the members of the Provisional Government present at headquarters have agreed to an unconditional surrender, and the commandants of the various districts in the City and County will order their commands to lay down arms. The railway line at Blanchardstown was bombed to prevent a troop train reaching Dublin. [16], The Supreme Council of the IRB met on 5 September 1914, just over a month after the British government had declared war on Germany. About 3,500 people were taken prisoner by the British and 1,800 of them were sent to internment camps or prisons in Britain. The writings of people like Pearse and Connolly and others  became more widely read and people began to realise that contrary to Redmond’s spurious allegations, the leaders of the Rising and their followers had been patriots and idealists, not puppets of the Germans. They also built barricades on the street, and broke through to neighbouring buildings to enable them to extend their control along the street. The death of the old Fenian leader Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa in New York in August 1915 was an opportunity to mount a spectacular demonstration. Of those killed: More than 2,600 were wounded; including at least 2,200 civilians and rebels, at least 370 British soldiers and 29 policemen. We count down to the 103rd anniversary with a look at the leaders of the rebellion. The Gaelic Athletic Association, the Gaelic League and the cultural revival under W. B. Yeats and Augusta, Lady Gregory, together with the new political thinking of Arthur Griffith expressed in his newspaper Sinn Féin and organisations such as the National Council and the Sinn Féin League, led many Irish people to identify with the idea of an independent Gaelic Ireland. [41], The Aud and the U-19 reached the coast of Kerry on Good Friday, 21 April. 67, Frühjahr 2008, S. 2–16. Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke announced that the council had committed to building the trail, marking it with a green line or bricks, with brass plates marking the related historic sites such as the Rotunda and the General Post Office. Eventually all lessons were taught in Irish. In 1913, Connolly was one of the founders of the Irish Citizen Army. Nevertheless, the Irish Parliamentary Party kept up the pressure under the leadership of John Redmond and a Home Rule Bill was eventually passed in 1914. [201] The official programme of centenary events in 2016 climaxed from 25 March (Good Friday) to 2 April (Easter Saturday) with other events earlier and later in the year taking place on the calendrical anniversaries. [48][88][89][90][91], On Wednesday morning, hundreds of British troops encircled the Mendicity Institution, which was occupied by 26 Volunteers under Seán Heuston. [186], The parades culminated in a huge national celebration on the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966. [125] However, his men were poorly armed, with only 25 rifles, 60 revolvers, 300 shotguns and some homemade grenades – many of them only had pikes. They decided that the Rising would go ahead the following day, Easter Monday, and that the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army would go into action as the 'Army of the Irish Republic'. Among them were members of the all-female Cumann na mBan. In Scotland it will be an opportunity to discuss and assess the legacy of one of its central leaders, James Connolly, born in Edinburgh in 1868. [178] Christopher M. Kennedy notes that "those who sympathised with the rebels would, out of fear for their own safety, keep their opinions to themselves". They made unsuccessful attacks on the RIC barracks at Clarinbridge and Oranmore, captured several officers, and bombed a bridge and railway line, before taking up position near Athenry. The railway line was cut at Fairview and the line was damaged by bombs at Amiens Street, Broadstone, Kingsbridge and Lansdowne Road. [27] Casement also attempted to recruit an Irish Brigade, made up of Irish prisoners of war, which would be armed and sent to Ireland to join the uprising. [92], Reinforcements were sent to Dublin from Britain and disembarked at Kingstown on the morning of Wednesday 26 April. Among them was the seriously wounded Connolly, who was shot while tied to a chair because of his shattered ankle. For example, the annual military parade is on Easter Sunday; the date of coming into force of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 was symbolically chosen as Easter Monday (18 April) 1949. It was valued at 10 shillings, therefore having the highest denomination of any pre-decimal coin issued by the country. This is just a brief overview of the Easter Rising 1916. This was due to MacNeill's countermanding order, and the fact that the new orders had been sent so soon beforehand. [100] By the time of the rebel headquarters' surrender on Saturday, the South Staffordshire Regiment under Colonel Taylor had advanced only 150 yd (140 m) down the street at a cost of 11 dead and 28 wounded. Or did it? They flew the tricolour over the Athenaeum building, which they had made their headquarters, and paraded uniformed in the streets. The area saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Rising and the British had taken heavy casualties for little gain. In 2016 The Enemy Files, a documentary presented by a former British Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Portillo, was shown on RTÉ One and the BBC, ahead of the centenary. It would be easy to confuse Irish Home Rule with Irish inpedendence but the two concepts are very different. [44] When news reached Dublin of the capture of the Aud and the arrest of Casement, Nathan conferred with the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wimborne. The 1916 Easter Rebellion in Ireland had exactly zero chance of success, at least as a military endeavor. Desmond Ryan stated that Volunteers were told "no firing was to take place except under orders or to repel attack". At their Sheares Street headquarters, some of the Volunteers engaged in a standoff with British forces. Not only that, they acted upon it by supporting the nationalists in the 1918 elections and the War of Independence. MacNeill decided it would be a good idea to have a paramilitary force with exactly the opposite objective: to support the campaign for Home Rule. [135] All 16 police fatalities and 22 of the British soldiers killed were Irishmen. Major Vane was discharged "owing to his action in the Skeffington murder case". Browse our other pages to find out more about the event that changed Irish history for ever, and get more information about the characters and the groups involved. [139] This was due to the British using artillery, incendiary shells and heavy machine guns in built-up areas, as well as their "inability to discern rebels from civilians". The Supreme Council of the IRB met on 5 September 1914, just over a month after the British government had declared war on Germany. [112] However, in part because of the confusion caused by the countermanding order, the Volunteers in these locations dispersed without fighting. Éamonn Ceannt was an accountant with the Dublin Corporation and played uillean pipes. Its centenary will be a major event in Ireland and beyond. [160][161][162][163][164], These killings, and the British response to them, helped sway Irish public opinion against the British. Most of the executions took place over a ten-day period: As the executions went on, the Irish public grew increasingly hostile towards the British and sympathetic to the rebels. Fianna Fáil, for a long time the most successful political party in the republic, pushed a narrative that used the 1916 Rising to legitimize the contemporary state. The RIC suffered most of their casualties in the Battle of Ashbourne on Friday. At this meeting, they decided to stage an uprising before the war ended and to secure help from Germany. The pro-treaty faction won and on 6 December, 1922, the Irish Free State came into being. It’s unlikely that the outcome would have been different if they had, although the Rising may have lasted a little longer. In 1886, the Irish Parliamentary Party under Charles Stewart Parnell succeeded in having the First Home Rule Bill introduced in the British parliament, but it was defeated. As well as erecting roadblocks, they took control of various bridges and cut telephone and telegraph wires. Most of the civilian casualties and most of the casualties overall were caused by the British Army. …the rising took place, on Easter Monday 1916, only about 1,000 men and women were actually engaged. [39], The following day, MacNeill got wind that a rising was about to be launched and threatened to do everything he could to prevent it, short of informing the British. [79][80], In the early hours of Tuesday, 120 British soldiers, with machine-guns, occupied two buildings overlooking St Stephen's Green: the Shelbourne Hotel and United Services Club. On 29 April, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers under Company Quartermaster Sergeant Robert Flood shot dead two British officers and two Irish civilian employees of the Guinness Brewery after he decided they were rebels. [144] Many of them, like Arthur Griffith, had little or nothing to do with the Rising. Public and political pressure led to a public inquiry, which reached similar conclusions. The British commander, Lowe, worked slowly, unsure of the size of the force he was up against, and with only 1,269 troops in the city when he arrived from the Curragh Camp in the early hours of Tuesday 25 April.