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Easter Rising Facts

Easter Rising Facts
The Easter Rising, often referred to as the Easter Rebellion, was a well-coordinated rebellion in Ireland by Irish Republicans during Easter week 1916. The rebellion was led by several different Irish independence groups, including the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Irish Citizen Army, the Irish Volunteers, and Cumann na mBan, which was a women's branch of the Irish Volunteers. James Connolly, Patrick Pearse, and John MacBride were among the leaders of the rebellion, which began on Easter Monday, April 24, and lasted until April 29. The Easter Rising began when the Republicans seized key locations in central Dublin and engaged the British army and police in fierce gunfights. Although similar actions by Republicans happened in other parts of Ireland, most of the action was confined to Dublin, Ireland's largest city but also the center of British control. The Easter Rising ended when the leaders agreed to an unconditional surrender. Nearly 500 people died in the Easter Rising, but also nearly 150 British military and police and eighty-two Irish rebels. British reprisals were swift and harsh against the rebels and the overall Irish population. Nearly 100 of rebel leaders were immediately imprisoned and fourteen were executed, but the Easter Rebellion basically ensure that Ireland would become an independent nation. The atrocities the British committed after the rebellion pushed many moderates "off the fence" and into the Republican camp, while a new Republican leadership formed to fill the shoes of those who were executed.
Interesting Easter Rising Facts:
The Easter Rebellion was the culmination of a centuries old animosity the Irish held toward the British. The British incorporated predominantly Catholic Ireland into its kingdom in the late Middle Ages and only begrudgingly allowed them any government representation.
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a pro-independence Irish movement formed in 1858. It openly advocated for only legal means to achieve its goals, although members also joined underground groups.
The Irish Volunteers was an underground republican paramilitary group that formed in 1913. Many of the Irish Republican Brotherhood members were also members of this group.
The Irish Citizen Army was a pro-independence group comprised mainly of union workers and led by James Connolly among others.
The Royal Irish Constabulary was the main police force in Ireland that investigated the Republican groups.
The organizers of the Easter Rebellion planned it during Easter week to catch the British off guard.
The Easter Uprising took part when World War I was still very much undecided.
The rebel leaders contacted the German government and arranged to have more than 20,000 rifles smuggled into Ireland, although the British caught wind of the plan and seized the shipment.
Telephones were still fairly new at the time but played a significant role in the rebellion. The rebels failed to take the telephone exchange building, instead opting to cut the phone wires. The government quickly repaired the wires, though, and were able to keep in contact with London as a result.


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