"Easter Dawn charts the story of the 1916 Rising, from the landing of the guns at Howth for the Irish Volunteers in 1914 to the arrests and executions that followed it. The battlegrounds that erupted across Dublin city and elsewhere in Ireland form the stage upon which a remarkable cast assembled." -- Book jacket
Tells the story of the Easter Rising from the perspective of the rank and file revolutionaries, based on a recently-discovered collection of over 1700 eye-witness statements.
When the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918) delayed home rule for Ireland, a faction of Irish nationalists - the Irish Republican Brotherhood - decided to take direct action and infiltrated a number of other nationalist and militia outfits. On Easter Monday 1916, whilst armed men seized key points across Dublin, a rebellion was launched from the steps of the General Post Office (GPO) and Patrick Pearse proclaimed the existence of an Irish Republic and the establishment of a Provisional Government. The British response was a military one and martial law was declared throughout Ireland. Over the next five days they drove the rebels back in violent street fighting until the Provisional Government surrendered on April 29. Central Dublin was left in ruins. The leaders of the rising were tried by court martial: 15 of them were summarily executed and a further 3,500 'sympathizers' imprisoned. Although the majority of the Irish population was against the rebellion, the manner of its suppression began to turn their heads in favor of those who would call for independence from Britain 'at any cost.' Covering in detail this important milestone in the ongoing Anglo-Irish struggle, bestselling author Michael McNally thoroughly examines the politics and tactics employed, to provide a well-researched study of the roots and outcome of this conflict. Furthermore, the array of unique photographs depicting this calamitous event help to bring to life one of the key episodes that shaped Irish history.
Townshend traces the dramatic events of the Easter Rebellion in Dublin in 1916, the actions and aims of the rebels, the British response to the revolt and the consequences, politically and culturally, of the uprising.
The Easter 1916 Rising: an unlikely band of freedom fighters - teachers, poets, writers, patriots, trade unionists - declare an Irish Republic. From this dramatic gesture, a nation is born... The rebellion that set Ireland free, told as a graphic novel.
After the Rebellion, came the trials. 3,226 men and women were rounded up and brought to Richmond Barracks in Dublin, where they were screened for trial, deportation or release. In the following three weeks of May 1916 nearly 2,000 men and women were deported and interned. 160 prisoners were tried by Field General Courts Martial. These trials were held in camera - no press or public were admitted. None of the prisoners were legally represented or permitted to give sworn evidence in their own defence. Most trials lasted about 20 minutes or less. 90 death sentences were passed and 15 were carried out. This book provides a powerful analysis of an uncomfortable moment in history when the rule of law gave way to political imperatives. The trials and executions took place while the outcome of the Great War hung in the balance. The government judged that publication of the trial records would damage army recruitment and the war effort, so the trial records were suppressed and most were thought to have been destroyed. But since the turn of the century more and more trial records have surfaced, casting dramatic new insights into what took place. This book, the companion to The Trial of Civilians by Military Courts: Ireland 1921, is a fascinating and comprehensive study of the trials which proved to be a pivotal event in Anglo-Irish history.
This compact yet detailed book explores the 1916 Rising in Ireland, from the historical context, to a day-by-day account of the events, to biographies of the leading figures.
In this innovative work, Alan Ward uses the pivotal event in twentieth-century Irish history as a prism through which to survey Irish history from the twelfth century to the present. By asking why the Easter Rising occurred, Ward is able to review the history of Anglo-Irish relations, from the time of Norman settlement to World War I, as well as the development of several kinds of Irish nationalism in the nineteenth century. Then, by asking what the effects of the Rising have been, Ward discusses the Irish war of independence, the creation of the Irish Free State, and the Irish civil war, pondering the influence of the various strands of Irish nationalism on the modern state. Finally, the book reviews the conflict in Northern Ireland from the 1960s all the way to the fall of 2002, making this distinctive and analysis ideal for use as a core text in Irish history or superb supplementary reading for survey courses in British, European, and World History.
In the long and epic fight for Irish independence, few events match the drama and tragedy of the Easter Rising of 1916. Inspired by the legends of old and sharing the dream of an independent Ireland, an extraordinary alliance of men and women sought to overthrow British rule in Ireland. 'Easter Dawn' charts the story of the Rising from the landing of the guns at Howth in 1914, to the arrests and executions that followed it. The fate of those involved - rebel and loyalist alike - is told through eyewitness accounts and media reports. Intricately researched and emotively written, the narrative is woven around contemporary photographs, many rare and unseen, providing a fresh look at the people and places involved. As the centenary of 1916 approaches, this book is ideally suited for anyone seeking an accessible, impartial and dramatic view of that immense week.