The Irish Easter Rebellion

from Sheila MacAvoy Block

The Easter Rebellion, which began on Monday, April 14, 1916, was a defining event in the history of the Irish Nation. It began formally with this Proclamation:

"TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND: IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN, In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom."

It had been years in the planning, was participated in by only a few thousand men and women, did not create a surge of support from the uncommitted citizenry and was crushed by British forces in less than a week.

If it had not been for the miscalculation of the British government in the aftermath of this blip on the world's political stage, the eventual creation of the Irish nation state might never have occured. But the English made the fateful decision to execute the ring leaders of the rebellion. Their deaths galvanized the general population and created a powerful myth of martyrdom which ultimately resulted in revolt, civil war and an independent state.

The struggle is still unresolved and the six counties in Ulster which remained until very recently under British control are still an unsettled issue for some.

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