Easter Rising

Easter Rising 1916 – from heroic failure to glorious triumph

Easter Proclamation of 1916

The Easter Rising of 1916 was one of the most important events in modern Irish history.

It changed the country forever yet at first, as an event in itself, it was little more than a heroic failure.

Everything seemed against it. The rebels were poorly trained, ill-equipped and vastly outnumbered. Many of them were idealists – better suited to lofty thoughts and grand ideas than to the harsh reality of fighting.

The Rising had little support at first

The rebellion had virtually no support from Irish people at that time – many of them were even hostile to it.

The British had already promised that Ireland would be granted Home Rule after the First World War was over. An Act of Parliament had already been passed to that effect.

For this reason, many Irish people were prepared to wait on the basis that the British would honour their pledge. Some feared that a rebellion might do more harm than good and give the British government an excuse to renege on its promise.

The Rising lasted only six days

The Rising started on Easter Monday and was over by the following weekend. The rebels seized key buildings across the city of Dublin and hoped they would inspire people all across Ireland to join them.

That support never materialised and although the rebels fought bravely, they were overcome within six days by the British army which vastly outnumbered them and was far better equipped.

As they were led to jail, they were jeered by some Dublin people who felt the Rising was ill-timed and disloyal.

The Rising helped to create an independent Ireland

James Connolly

In spite of all this, the Easter Rising became a major catalyst in creating an independent Ireland. The reason it did so was largely due to the brutal reaction of the British government once they had suppressed the rebellion. The leaders were executed by firing squad.

One of the commanders, James Connolly, had already been badly wounded during the rebellion. He was so weak that he had to tied to a chair so he would remain upright long enough for the British soldiers to take aim and shoot him.

The executions created a wave of revulsion among Irish people

Incidents like this caused a wave of revulsion among Irish people who had previously had little interest in the rebellion.

Public opinion began to galvanise around the rebels. The cry for independence grew and it reached far beyond a few rebel extremists.

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 was for this reason that W B Yeats in his poem Easter 1916 composed that now famous line, A terrible beauty is born.

Ireland achieves independence

Within five years, the rebels got what they had wanted – an independent Ireland. Some of them, of course, never lived to see their life’s ambition become a reality but they knew the dangers at the outset and were prepared to accept the consequences.

In fact, most of them knew long before the Rising began that it had little chance of success. They went ahead anyway because they believed that the people of Ireland needed some hope, some gesture to inspire them to achieve their desire for independence.

In that respect, the Easter Rising was a glorious triumph.

This is just a brief overview of the Easter Rising 1916. Browse our other pages to find out more about the event that changed Irish history for ever.

Main Groups:
Political background
Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Volunteer Force

The Fighting:
The Rebel Plan
The Rebels Attack
The British Reaction

Aftermath:
Leaders executed
Public Reaction