The 1916 Rising

Intro • Home Rule had been postponed

indefinitely• WW1 raging• most unionists had volunteered in Br army• Irish nationalists split• HR leader Redmond wanted them to fight• Eoin McNeill and Arthur Griffith disagreed.

Planning a rising• 1915 - Sean McDermott

and Clarke• ‘England’s difficulty is

Ireland’s opportunity’• Aim? To plan a rising• Military council set up in

IRB• decided to attack Br

forces in Dublin• wanted Ireland to be a

Republic

The planners• IRB planned a rising• Military council members were Pearse,

Clarke, McDermott• Pearse - irish school teacher• wanted irish as national language• believed the only way to do this was...• ...with an independent republic• James Connolly invited to join• why? He was planning a rebellion with

Irish Citizen Army• a socialist - wanted worker’s rights

Getting weapons• Roger Casement - Germany - guns• Why Germany?• rising planned for Easter• casement’s ship - the aud -

captured

Misleading MacNeill• IRB needed the 11,000 strong Irish

Volunteers• its leader Eoin MacNeil• Didn’t know about IRB plans• IRB forged document• Claimed the Br govt planned to arrest

the volunteer leaders• MacNeil shocked• told volunteers to plan Rebelli

Setbacks to rising• MacNeill found out document fake• cancelled plans for fighting• published cancellation in papers• any hope of nationwide rising

ended• casement’s ship captured• so, few weapons

Blood sacrifice• the IRB realized Rising was doomed• Patrick Pearse was the leader• They knew they would fail• But decided to go ahead on Easter

Monday• Why? Idea of the blood sacrifice• to inspire others to fight

Pearse

Rising begins• Easter Monday, 1916• IRB, volunteers and Irish Citizen

Army• 1500 men• seized key buildings around city• four courts, college of surgeons,

Boland’s Mills• and GPO

GPO• Headquarters of the Rising• Pearse read proclamation of the

Irish Republic• Citizens were puzzled• british taken by surprise• sent replacements to city

British Attack• 6,000 soldiers in city• gun ship, the Helga, up Liffey• Shelled the GPO• buildings damaged, people died• So, on Saturday Pearse

surrendered

Why did the Rising fail?• 1. No countrywide rebellion,• ...so Br could concentrate on

attacking Dublin• 2. Rebels had few weapons...• because Aud captured• 3. Rebels heavily outnumbered by

Br soldiers

Effects of rising• irish republic annoyed at rebels• because of description and

destruction• so had no sympathy for them• more Br soldiers in ireland now• 3,000 people arrested• leaders of rising put on trial

Public opinion changes• leaders of rising sentenced to death• executed at Kilmainham Gaol• 15 leaders executed• Pearse and Clarke• people began to sympathise with

rebels• admired the rebels’ bravery and

cause

Kilmainham Jail

Wall where the Rising leaders were shot

Executions stop• Br realized the change in public

opinion• stopped the executions• remainder of revels sent to

internment camps• would be released within a yr• but the damage was done • pearse’s ‘blood sacrifice’ had worked

Long-term effects of rising• 1. Irish people would not be

satisfied with HR anymore• now people wanted full

independence

Effects (2)• 2. Sinn Fein became v popular• Br govt blamed Rising on Sinn Fein• Even though Arthur Griffith had nothing

to do with it• Sinn Fein would replace HR party• and become the main political party in

ireland• the rising is a turning pt in irish history

Sinn Fein• set up by Arthur Griffith in 1905• not satisfied with Hr• wanted to achieve independence by

peaceful means• promised if elected not to send any

MPs to Westminster• would set up a govt in Dublin instead• but not popular before 1916• why? Most people wanted HR then

After Rising• Br called it a ‘Sinn Fein rebellion’• even though SF didn’t take part in Rising• made SF v popular in ireland• the heroes of the Rising left alive were

part of SF• eg Michael Collins and de Valery• in 1917 they were released from

internment

New leadership• Griffith resigned leadership in 1917• replaced by de Valery• their two aims stayed the same• 1. Set up a republic, independent

from Br• 2. Set up a parliament in Dublin,

independent of Westminster

Popularity grows• Br planned to introduce

conscription in ireland• what is conscription?• all irish parties hated the idea• but SF got credit for Br dropping

the idea• became even more popular

1918 General Election• 1st election after WW1• SF won many seats • crushed HR party• HR party were now extinct• SF and the Unionists main parties

from ireland• but SF didn’t intend to sit in

Westminster!