Irish history and the 1916 rising

¶ … England was intricately involved in the governing of Ireland in one form or another. Although England did not become directly involved in administering Irish affairs until after the English Reformation during Henry VIII's reign, England had largely influenced Irish political affairs since the time of the Normans. The English adopted an attitude toward the Irish in which the English felt that the Irish were incapable of self-rule. This was an attitude that remained prevalent among the English into the twentieth century (Lengel).

Ireland officially became a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1801. Its membership in the United Kingdom was always contentious but it became particularly so in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the Irish began to argue for what was described as home rule. Under the concept of home rule Ireland would remain a part of the United Kingdom but Ireland would be permitted to exercise most governmental functions on their own without intervention by England. This position was favored by the moderates but there was always a segment of the Irish people who demanded complete independence. Periodically through Irish history demonstrations would break out demanding either independence from England or the establishment of home rule but said demonstrations would eventually dissipate and Ireland would remain as part of the United Kingdom. An undercurrent of discontent, however, remained among Irishmen over English rule.

Ireland had suffered through one of the worst times in its history during what became known as the Great Famine. The Great Famine lasted for two years from 1845 to 1847 and there was strong sentiment in Ireland that England had failed to assist Ireland in battling the effects of the famine (Donnelly). This sentiment added to the long standing desire for home rule among the Irish population fueled the uneasiness existed between England and Ireland.

The breakout of the First World War brought the issue of Ireland's participation in the War to the forefront. As part of the United Kingdom they were expected to contribute to the war effort but the passage of the National Service Act by the British Parliament in January of 1916 which gave authority to the British Government to draft Irish men into the service angered the militant groups inside Ireland. These groups, such as Sinn Fein and the Irish Republican Brotherhood, had been planning for years to organize against British rule and the turmoil caused by the World War offered them the chance to go forward with their plans. They viewed the fact that England was preoccupied with the War as an indication that England would not aggressively defend any attempts by the Irish to establish home rule or seek independence.

The Irish Republican Brotherhood organized an actual plan for a rebellion that they was to be initiated by a parade on Easter Sunday 1916. The parade was cancelled but the seeds of the rebellion had been sown and approximately a 1,000 Brotherhood members went ahead with the planned rebellion. 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).