Just Finished Reading: Easter 1916 – The Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend


I’m trying to deepen my knowledge of areas I’m at least partially aware of already rather than move into completely uncharted territory. As part of that knowledge creep I picked up this book recently to find out the details of the Easter uprising in Dublin during Easter 1916. I guess that part of my interest in this event is my Irish ancestry and the fact that my father was born 13 years after and a mere 26 miles south-east of the main event. I can guess that he must have grown up with stories of the Catholic heroes who held off the might of the British army. He certainly mentioned some of the people discussed in this book which was an interesting personal link to an historic event.

I had already been horrified, and incensed, but stories of British atrocities in Dublin during that fateful weekend. I knew about the use of artillery on the streets of central Dublin to clear out rebel strongholds (not unlike the Russian army in Berlin it seemed) and I knew about the fatal error of the British authorities who executed the rebel leaders after the uprising had failed. I remember my disbelief (and righteous anger) when I was told about one rebel who, after being injured in the retaking of the city, was executed after being tied to a chair as he was incapable of standing up to be shot. I can imagine how badly that was received in the Catholic communities at the time – never mind to my less than fully active ‘Catholic’ sensibilities almost a century later.

What I didn’t realise, though maybe I should have, was the level of Imperial oppression prior to the events of 1916. Basically England treated Ireland like a dominion territory – not unlike India. Unsurprisingly the Irish population resented it. When WW1 exploded onto the scene the British administration could not understand the Irish reluctance to join the fight to defend their oppressors. When, after several years of fighting in Europe, the idea of compulsorily conscription was brought up that alone nearly caused a rebellion. With the idea of Home Rule hanging in front of the nation like a carrot – only after the war of course – tensions within the Irish political scene produced a group of radical thinkers (later to become founding members of the IRA) who decided that only an uprising could force the issue. Unfortunately the rebels did not have the weapons, the knowledge or the experience to pull it off. What followed was a series of mistakes on the Irish side which made their positions untenable. But it was the actions on the British side that ironically made the rebellion a successful one. Because of their heavy handed response – both in putting down the immediate act of rebellion and in the subsequent executions – they turned what was basically a farce into an act of heroism that has informed Irish politics even since.

Despite a fairly complex narrative and a large cast of characters, the author managed to keep my attention (often riveted if truth be told) focused on the events of 1916. I did lose track of some of the names from time to time but, overall, managed to keep a grip on things. On one level this can be seen as the story of a romantically bungled uprising by people who had no business being revolutionaries. On another level it was the story of what happens when a powerful nation treats its weaker neighbour with distain. It is also the story of brave, if naïve, men and women who fought and died for freedom in a time of global conflict. Overshadowed by the war in Europe it is easy to forget or overlook the events in Ireland but that, I think, would be a mistake. The fallout of the events that occurred in Dublin in 1916 have echoed down the years and present day Ireland cannot be understood without reference to it. Recommended for those of Irish ancestry or for anyone interested in the history of revolt and revolution.