Assisted by the receipt of some arms from Germany, the group seized several buildings in Dublin which they were able to hold for nearly a week before British forces were able to put down the uprising.
The leaders of the rebellion, who had declared the establishment of an Irish Republic during the time that they occupied the Dublin buildings, were captured and subsequently summarily executed by the British government. These executions were a major political mistake for the British. Prior to the executions the popular sentiment in Ireland was to continue with British rule but the summary nature of the British actions subsequent to the Easter uprising caused a radical change in Irish attitudes. The executed men were quickly regarded as martyrs and the arrests of the remaining rebellion participants raised the ire of the Irish citizenry. What began as a small and poorly organized demonstration escalated into a rallying platform for Irish independence.
Following their poor decision in executing the rebellion leaders, the British further aggravated circumstances by stationing nearly 50,000 troops in Ireland. This action not only irritated the Irish public it also deprived England of men and equipment that were badly needed in the War. All hopes of England's recruiting of Irish men for the War effort were extinguished following the Easter uprising (Plunkett).
The Easter uprising was essentially limited to the Dublin area but the results were far reaching. Many historians consider...
It was estimated that the uprising resulted in the loss of approximately 450 persons being killed and 2,500 persons being injured (Lee).
The Easter uprising remains a significant event in Irish history and it continues to be honored in many Irish communities by ceremonies and parades. Irish poet, W.B. Years, expressed his viewpoint on the occasion shortly after the event by the writing of a poem, entitled Easter, 1916 (Yeats). The poem details what occurred on that fateful day and has served as an anthem for Irish independence since its publication. In elections following the uprising the Irish public voiced its disapproval over the event and British rule leading to the commencement of the Irish War of Independence in 1919. A treaty was signed between the Irish and the United Kingdom in 1921 that officially recognized the Republic of Ireland.
Works Cited
Donnelly, James S. The Great Irish Potato Famine. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008.
Lee, Joseph J. Ireland, 1912-1985: Politics and Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Lengel, Edward G. The Irish through British Eyes. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2002.
Plunkett, John Quinn and George William Russell and Horace Curzon. The Irish home-rule convention. Charleston, SC: Nabu Press, 2010.
Yeats, William Butler. "Easter 1916" and other Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover…
