The Easter Rising 1916
When studying the causes of the Easter Rising, there are many factors we need to
consider
1. First World War
2. Formation of Military Council
3. Influence of Carson and UVF
4. Influence of Cultural Nationalism
5. Personal contribution of leaders like Pearse and Connolly
6. The failings of the British Government-Home Rule and Conscription
First World War
JACKSON- The Easter Rising is virtually unimaginable without the First World War.”
As British attention was firmly fixed on the war, the opportunity opened up for the
IRB to hold a rebellion, adhering to the Old Fenian maxim, “England’s difficulty is
Ireland’s opportunity.”
The major reason why the war contributed to the Easter Rising was because it
created divisions within the Nationalist ranks.
Following Edward Grey’s announcement of war to the House of Commons on the 3 rd
August 1914, Redmond pledged his support for the war, “The duty of the manhood
of Ireland is twofold. Its duty is at all costs, to defend the shores of Ireland against
foreign invasion.”
Initially, Redmond was adamant that that Irish Volunteers should not be required to
take the oath of allegiance to the King and they could only be deployed in Ireland for
the purpose of Home Defence.
He later reversed this decision, in a way which LYONS describes as “a gesture of
competition with the Ulster Volunteers whom Carson had already urged to fight
overseas.”
In his impromptu Woodenbridge speech in East Wicklow on 20th September,
Redmond appealed for his Irish Volunteers to serve “wherever the firing line
extends”, justifying it by stating that they would be fighting “in defence of right, of
freedom and religion.”
This speech can be seen as a direct cause of the rising as it caused a major split in
the Irish Volunteers.
A minority of 12,000 Volunteers broke away from Redmond and on 24th September
20 out of 27 of the original committee for the Volunteers came out in rejection of
Redmond’s policy.
This much smaller group, retaining the name of Irish Volunteers, were led by
MacNeill, who would go on to play a prominent role in the Rising.
The split in the volunteers allowed for infiltration by the IRB, who used the
Volunteers as a front group for their own advantage.
Formation of Military Council
REES- the Easter Rising was fuelled by “the work of IRB conspirators operating
within the clandestine Fenian movement.”
When studying the causes of the Easter Rising, there are many factors we need to
consider
1. First World War
2. Formation of Military Council
3. Influence of Carson and UVF
4. Influence of Cultural Nationalism
5. Personal contribution of leaders like Pearse and Connolly
6. The failings of the British Government-Home Rule and Conscription
First World War
JACKSON- The Easter Rising is virtually unimaginable without the First World War.”
As British attention was firmly fixed on the war, the opportunity opened up for the
IRB to hold a rebellion, adhering to the Old Fenian maxim, “England’s difficulty is
Ireland’s opportunity.”
The major reason why the war contributed to the Easter Rising was because it
created divisions within the Nationalist ranks.
Following Edward Grey’s announcement of war to the House of Commons on the 3 rd
August 1914, Redmond pledged his support for the war, “The duty of the manhood
of Ireland is twofold. Its duty is at all costs, to defend the shores of Ireland against
foreign invasion.”
Initially, Redmond was adamant that that Irish Volunteers should not be required to
take the oath of allegiance to the King and they could only be deployed in Ireland for
the purpose of Home Defence.
He later reversed this decision, in a way which LYONS describes as “a gesture of
competition with the Ulster Volunteers whom Carson had already urged to fight
overseas.”
In his impromptu Woodenbridge speech in East Wicklow on 20th September,
Redmond appealed for his Irish Volunteers to serve “wherever the firing line
extends”, justifying it by stating that they would be fighting “in defence of right, of
freedom and religion.”
This speech can be seen as a direct cause of the rising as it caused a major split in
the Irish Volunteers.
A minority of 12,000 Volunteers broke away from Redmond and on 24th September
20 out of 27 of the original committee for the Volunteers came out in rejection of
Redmond’s policy.
This much smaller group, retaining the name of Irish Volunteers, were led by
MacNeill, who would go on to play a prominent role in the Rising.
The split in the volunteers allowed for infiltration by the IRB, who used the
Volunteers as a front group for their own advantage.
Formation of Military Council
REES- the Easter Rising was fuelled by “the work of IRB conspirators operating
within the clandestine Fenian movement.”
