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  • The Easter Rising, April 24 1916


    Beatriz Camino
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    The Easter Rising, April 24 1916

    The Easter Rising, also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. It was launched by Irish Republicans against British rule in Ireland with the intention of establishing an independent Irish Republic. This event was the most significant uprising in the country since the rebellion of 1798 and the first armed conflict of the Irish Revolutionary period.

    Background

    After the Acts of Union in 1800 were passed by the British government, Ireland merged with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Consequently, Ireland lost its parliament in Dublin and was governed by a united parliament from London. During the 19th century, many groups of Irish nationalists opposed this union and protested against the lack of adequate political representation. 

    Some moderate nationalists wished for home rule, under which the country would remain part of the United Kingdom while having some form of self-government. After several home rule bills were defeated in the Parliament in the late 1800s, one was finally passed in 1914. However, the outbreak of World War I led to the suspension of its implementation. This led to widespread frustration and anger among Irish nationalists, who saw the delay as a betrayal of their aspirations.

    In the meanwhile, members of a secret revolutionary organization known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) began planning what would become the Easter Rising with the aim of achieving Irish independence through armed revolution. They hoped to gain military support from Germany, which was fighting the British in World War I. The Germans arranged for a shipment of arms and ammunition for the rebels, but the British detected the ship shortly before the revolution started.

    The Rising

    The planning for the Rising had begun as early as 1914 and involved a complex network of individuals and groups committed to the cause of Irish independence. On Easter Monday, April 24th, 1916, around 1,200 Irish republicans, led by figures such as Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, took control of key buildings in Dublin, including the General Post Office (GPO), the Four Courts, and the Dublin Castle.

    The rebels took control of their designated targets and that same afternoon Pearse read a proclamation declaring Ireland as an independent republic outside the GPO. However, despite their hopes, the public did not rise to support them. The British forces soon declared martial law in Ireland, and even though they were caught off guard by the Rising, they quickly began to push back against the rebels. For the next few days, the fighting was fierce, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

    The rebels were eventually forced to surrender on April 29th, after a six-day siege of the GPO and the assurance from the British forces that they would spare their lives. By the end of the Rising, around 450 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded in the violence, which also destroyed much of the Dublin city centre.

    Consequences of the Rising

    The Easter Rising was initially met with widespread disapproval among the Irish population, who saw it as reckless and futile. However, the execution of the rebel leaders, including Pearse and Connolly, the mass arrest of 3,000 people suspected of supporting the uprising, and the declaration of martial law by the British authorities turned public opinion in favour of the rebels and the movement for Irish independence.

    The Rising also had significant international repercussions. The rebels had hoped to secure the support of Germany, which was fighting against Britain in World War I, but this support never materialized. However, the British authorities’ heavy-handed response to the Rising did attract the attention of other countries, including the United States, where Irish Americans had long been supportive of Irish independence.

    In the 1918 general election to the parliament of the United Kingdom, the Sinn Fein political party, which advocated for an Irish republic, won the majority of the Irish seats. Their members refused to sit in the UK Parliament, and in January 1919 convened to declare Ireland’s independence. The Irish Republican Army then launched a guerrilla war against the British government, which ended in 1922 with the establishment of the Irish Free State, a self-governing nation of the British Commonwealth. The fully independent Republic of Ireland was formally proclaimed on April 18, 1949.

     

    George V 1923-S Sovereign Sydney Mint, low mintage R4, MS62GEORGE V 1911 PROOF GOLD FIVE POUNDS PF641 sovereign 1924S George V Australia NGC MS 61

    George V 1932 proof 'Wreath' Crown, NGC PF63GEORGE V, 1935 SILVER PROOF CROWN1 dollar 1920 George V Straits Settlements PCGS MS 63

     

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