Easter Rising
Armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week 1916.
In April 1916, during Easter Week, Irish republicans launched an armed uprising against British rule, known as the Easter Rising or Easter Rebellion. Their goal was to create an independent Irish Republic while Britain was occupied with World War I. It was the biggest rebellion in Ireland since 1798 and marked the first major clash of the Irish revolutionary period. Starting on Easter Monday, April 24, the rebellion lasted six days. A seven-man Military Council from the Irish Republican Brotherhood organized it. Key figures included schoolmaster and language activist Patrick Pearse, who led the Irish Volunteers, and James Connolly, who led the smaller Irish Citizen Army. About 200 women from Cumann na mBan also took part. The rebels seized important buildings in Dublin and declared an Irish Republic. The British Army responded with thousands of reinforcements, artillery, and a gunboat. Street fighting erupted on routes into the city center, where the rebels slowed the British advance and caused many casualties. Elsewhere in Dublin, the fighting was mostly sniping and long-range gun battles. British forces gradually surrounded and bombarded the main rebel positions. Outside Dublin, rebel actions were limited because Volunteer leader Eoin MacNeill had issued a countermand order to stop the Rising. Overwhelmed by superior numbers and heavier weapons, the British Army crushed the uprising. Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday, April 29, though some sporadic fighting continued briefly. Martial law remained in place after the surrender. About 3,500 people were taken prisoner, and 1,800 were sent to internment camps or prisons in Britain. Most of the Rising’s leaders were executed after courts-martial, starting in May 1916. These executions, along with later political events, boosted public support for Irish independence. The Rising revived physical force republicanism in Irish politics, which for nearly fifty years had been dominated by constitutional nationalism. Opposition to Britain’s harsh response shifted public opinion, leading to the 1918 general election where Sinn Féin won 73 of Ireland’s 105 seats. Sinn Féin then convened the First Dáil and declared independence. In total, 485 people died: 260 civilians, 143 British military and police, and 82 Irish rebels (including 16 executed later). More than 2,600 were wounded.
Quick Facts
- Conflict
- Easter Rising / ga · Éirí Amach na Cásca
- Part Of
- the Irish revolutionary period and uprisings against Entente powers during World War I
- Date
- 24–29 April 1916
- Location
- Mostly Dublin; skirmishes in counties Meath, Galway, Louth, Wexford, Cork
- Result
- Uprising suppressed / Unconditional surrender of rebel forces / Execution of most rebel leaders / Shift of public opinion in favour of independence
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Easter Rising was organised by a seven-man Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. It began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, when members of the Irish Volunteers, led by schoolmaster and Irish language activist Patrick Pearse, joined by the smaller Irish Citizen Army of James Connolly and 200 women of Cumann na mBan, seized strategically important buildings in Dublin and proclaimed the Irish Republic. The British Army brought in thousands of reinforcements as well as artillery and a gunboat, leading to street fighting on routes into the city centre, where the rebels slowed the British advance and inflicted many casualties. Elsewhere in Dublin, the fighting mainly consisted of sniping and long-range gun battles. The main rebel positions were gradually surrounded and bombarded with artillery. There were isolated actions in other parts of Ireland; Volunteer leader Eoin MacNeill had issued a countermand in a bid to halt the Rising, which greatly reduced the extent of the rebel actions.
Reader's Guide
The Easter Rising brought physical force republicanism back to the forefront of Irish politics, which for nearly fifty years had been dominated by constitutional nationalism. With much greater numbers and heavier weapons, the British Army suppressed the Rising. Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29 April, although sporadic fighting continued briefly. After the surrender, the country remained under martial law. About 3,500 people were taken prisoner by the British and 1,800 of them were sent to internment camps or prisons in Britain. Most of the leaders of the Rising were executed following courts martial. Opposition to the British reaction to the Rising contributed to changes in public opinion and the move toward independence, as shown in the 1918 general election, in which Sinn Féin won 73 of the 105 Irish seats. Sinn Féin convened the First Dáil and declared independence. Of the 485 people killed, 260 were civilians, 143 were British military and police personnel, and 82 were Irish rebels, including 16 rebels executed for their roles in the Rising. Many of the civilians were killed or wounded by British artillery fire or were mistaken for rebels. The shelling and resulting fires left parts of central Dublin in ruins.
Did You Know?
- The Rising lasted for six days, from Easter Monday, 24 April 1916.
- Sixteen of the Rising's leaders were executed starting in May 1916.
More in Rebellions against the British Empire 1-24
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