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Previously, in "A long way to independence"
The Unionists of Ulster and the Nationalists of the rest of the island both got involved in the WWI to get the support of England for their ideas. But two years after the beginning of the war, this one started to become unpopular for many people... -
Save the date
In May, a Military Council is created inside the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) : its main leaders are Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett - two poets - and Éamonn Ceannt. It plans to create an uprising in Dublin. -
"Ireland unfree shall never be at peace"
In August, 1915, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, an important Irish nationalist dies in New York. For his burial in Dublin, huge crowds lined the route and gathered at the graveside.
It was the occasion for Pearse to make a rallying call to republicans, which ended with the words "Ireland unfree shall never be at peace". -
"Made in Germany"
20,000 rifles and one million rounds of ammunition and explosives are loaded to land in county Kerry, Ireland, in a German warship, disguised as a Norwegian one. -
Failure n°1
The German boat is forced to be sinked as it is intercepted by the Royal Navy. Roger Casement, who was in a U-19 submarine, is arrested. -
"Being caught between two stools" (avoir le cul entre deux chaises)
After the failure of the German ship, many Irish Volunteers want to cancel the uprising which was planned on Easter Day. The operation is finally postponed (reportée) to the following day. -
08:00 : beginning of the uprising
Early in the morning, close to 1,200 members of the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army mustered at several locations in central Dublin.
They are less as expected, because of a countermanding order given by one of the Volunteers. -
11:30 : an easy success
The rebels began to seize important sites in central Dublin to hold Dublin city centre. They choose the General Post Office (GPO) as headquarters.
The rebels took the positions with ease. Civilians were evacuated and policemen were ejected or taken prisoner. Windows and doors were barricaded, food and supplies were secured, and first aid posts were set up. Barricades were erected on the streets to hinder British Army movement. -
12:00 : A symbolic victory
The rebels marched to the General Post Office (GPO), Dublin's main thoroughfare, occupied the building and hoisted two republican flags.
Pearse stood outside and read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. -
Failure n°2
A contingent under Seán Connolly occupied Dublin City Hall and adjacent buildings. They attempted to seize neighbouring Dublin Castle, the heart of British rule in Ireland. The rebels overpowered the soldiers in the guardroom, but failed to press further. The British Under-Secretary for Ireland, Sir Matthew Nathan, helped to shut the castle gates. The rebels laid siege to the Castle from City Hall. By the following morning, British forces had re-captured City Hall and taken the rebels prisoner. -
And the British ?
The British military were caught totally unprepared by the rebellion and their response of the first day was generally un-coordinated. At the end of the day, several English soldiers were dead. -
Tuesday : English reaction
Lord Wimborne, the Lord Lieutenant, declared martial law on Tuesday. The British commander, Lowe, had 1,269 troops in the city. City Hall was taken from the rebel unit that had attacked Dublin Castle on Tuesday morning. -
Failure n°3
The rebels failed to take either of Dublin's two main railway stations or either of its ports. As a result, the British were able to bring in thousands of reinforcements from Britain and from their garrisons at the Curragh and Belfast.
16,000 English soldiers were present at the end of the week. -
Saturday, 10:00 : The beginning of the end
On Saturday, the headquarters garrison at the GPO, after days of shelling, was forced to abandon their headquarters when fire caused by the shells. -
Saturday, 16:00 : The final surrender
Pearse issued an order for all companies to surrender in a document :
"In order to prevent the further slaughter of Dublin citizens, and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers [...] the members of the Provisional Government [...] have agreed to an unconditional surrender" -
Conclusion
The Easter Rising resulted in at least 485 deaths : 260 civilians, 126 U.K. forces, 82 Irish rebels, 17 policemen. -
Period: to
Aftermath : for the rebels
The English reaction was hard : 187 people were tried in a martial-court, some only personnaly involved with the rebels. These trials were also illegal, some of the jugdes had fought against the rebels. 14 people were executed, like the three main leaders : Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett and Éamonn Ceannt. -
Period: to
Aftermath : in the Irish population
The Rising, and in particular the English reaction helped a large section of Irish nationalist opinion away from hostility or ambivalence and towards support for the rebels of Easter 1916.
Many people thought from this moment that the Parliamentary strategy wasn't efficient enough. -
Aftermath : the reinforcement of the Sinn Féin
All the republicans came together under the banner of Sinn Féin. In the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin won 73 of Ireland's 105 seats. -
Want to know more about the Rising ? (and I agree with you)
You can watch these three videos dealing with the Rising : 1) the replica of the execution of the Irish leaders : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDjREVKAvq4] 2) a classical Irish song, sung by the famous - and thrilling - singer Sinéad O'Connor : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaS3vaNUYgs] 3) a report made by the BBC for the Centenary of the Rising : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmaIOG9-BBk]
