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{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict='''Easter Rising'''
|partof=the movement towards Irish independence
|image=[[Image:1916proc.jpg|200px]]
|caption=[[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Proclamation of the Republic]], Easter 1916
|date=April 24 to April 30, 1916
|place=[[Dublin]] <br> small action in [[Ashbourne, County Meath|Ashbourne]]<br>skirmishes in counties [[county Galway|Galway]], [[Louth]] and [[County Wexford|Wexford]]
|casus=Belief that non-violent means of attaining Irish independence had failed
|territory=
|result=Unconditional surrender of rebel forces, execution of leaders
|combatant1={{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]] <br> [[Irish Volunteers]], <br> [[Irish Citizen Army]],<br>[[Cumann na mBan]]
|combatant2={{flagicon|UK}} [[British Army]] <br>[[Dublin Metropolitan Police]] <br>[[Royal Irish Constabulary]]
|commander1=[[Patrick Pearse]], <br> [[James Connolly]]
|commander2=Brigadier-General [[William Henry Muir Lowe|WHM Lowe]] <br> General Sir [[John Maxwell (General)|John Maxwell]]
|strength1=1,250 in Dublin, c. 2-3,000 elsewhere, however the latter took little or no part in the fighting.
|strength2=16,000 troops and 1000 armed police in Dublin by end of the week
|casualties1=82 killed, 1,617 wounded, 16 executed
|casualties2=157 killed, 318 wounded
|casualties3=220 civilians killed, 600 wounded
|notes=
}}

The '''Easter Rising''' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Éirí Amach na Cásca'') was a rebellion staged in [[Ireland]] in [[Easter Week]], 1916. The Rising was an attempt by militant [[Irish republicanism|Irish republicans]] to win independence from [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]]. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|rebellion of 1798]]. 

Organised by the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]], the Rising lasted from Easter Monday [[April 24]] to [[April 30]], [[1916]]. Members of the [[Irish Volunteers]], led by [[Teacher|schoolteacher]] and [[barrister]] [[Patrick Pearse]], joined by the smaller [[Irish Citizen Army]] of [[James Connolly]], along with 200 members of [[Cumann na mBan]], seized key locations in [[Dublin]] and proclaimed an [[Irish Republic]] independent of Britain. There were some actions in other parts of Ireland but, except at [[Ashbourne, County Meath]], they were minor.

The Rising was suppressed after six days of fighting, and its leaders were court-martialled and executed, but it succeeded in bringing [[Physical force Irish republicanism|physical force republicanism]] back to the forefront of Irish politics. In the [[United Kingdom general election, 1918|1918 General Election]], the last all-island election held in Ireland, to the British Parliament, Republicans won 73 seats out of 105, on a policy of [[abstentionism]] from [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] and Irish independence. This came less than two years after the Rising. In January, 1919, the elected members of [[Sinn Féin]] who were not still in prison at the time, including survivors of the Rising, convened the [[First Dáil]] and established the [[Irish Republic]]. The British Government refused to accept the legitimacy of the newly declared nation, leading to the [[Irish War of Independence]].

==Background==
Since the [[Act of Union 1800]] that joined [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] to form the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], opposition to the union had taken two forms: [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary]] [[Constitution of the United Kingdom|constitutionalism]] and [[Physical force Irish republicanism|physical force]].

[[Daniel O’Connell]], who founded the [[Repeal Association]] in 1840, pursued repeal of the Act in the [[British House of Commons]] and through mass meetings. The [[Young Ireland]]ers were active members of the repeal movement, but broke with O’Connell in 1846 and established the [[Irish Confederation]], and its leaders, [[William Smith O'Brien]], [[Thomas Francis Meagher]] and [[John Blake Dillon]], led the [[Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848]].  The [[Fenian]]s staged [[Fenian Rising|another revolt]] in 1867. Though defeated, they continued as a [[secret society|secret]], [[oath]]-bound society.<ref name="The McGarrity Papers">Sean Cronin, The McGarrity Papers, Anvil Books, 1972. </ref> In 1873, a Fenian convention was held in [[Dublin]], and adopted the name [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]], and a constitution. It passed two resolutions: that the central committee of the IRB constituted itself to act as the government of the [[Irish Republic]], and that the Head Centre (chairman) of the IRB would be President of the Republic, until such time as the Irish people freely elected its own government. <ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. 67</ref>

The [[Home Rule League]] and [[Charles Stewart Parnell]]’s [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] succeeded in having a large number of members elected to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] where, through the tactic of [[obstructionism]] and by virtue of holding the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]], they succeeded in having three [[Home rule|Home Rule]] bills introduced. Parnell's objectives, however, went beyond that of limited Home Rule. This became clear when in a speech in January, 1885, he said "No man has a right to fix the boundary of a march of a nation..." <ref>F.S.L. Lyons, Parnell, Gill & Macmillan, FP 1977, ISBN 0 7171 3939 5 pg. 264</ref> The [[Irish Government Bill 1886|First Home Rule Bill]] of 1886 was defeated in the House of Commons. The [[Irish Government Bill 1893|Second Home Rule Bill]] of 1893 was passed by the Commons but rejected by the [[House of Lords]]. The [[Home Rule Act 1914|Third Home Rule Bill]] of 1912 was again rejected by the Lords, but under the new [[Parliament Acts|Parliament Act]] (passed by [[H. H. Asquith]] with the support of [[John Redmond]] who became IPP leader on the death of Parnell) would become law after two years. Redmond, unlike Parnell, saw Home Rule as an end in itself. <ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. ?</ref>

[[Unionism in Ireland|Ulster Unionists]], led by [[Edward Carson, Baron Carson|Sir Edward Carson]], and both the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Tories]] and [[House of Lords|Lords]] were opposed to home rule, seeing it as a threat to their interests. The Unionists formed the [[Ulster Volunteers|Ulster Volunteer Force]] on [[13 January]] [[1913]],  prepared to violently resist the imposition of home rule, and threats of force were made by Conservative leader [[Andrew Bonar Law]] and other members of his party.<ref>The Green Flag, Kee, p.400-1. The IRA, Coogan, p.8-11</ref><ref>Kee, 170-2</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Geraghty | first = Tony | authorlink = Tony Geraghty | title = The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence | publisher = [[Harper Collins]] | date = 2000 | pages = pp. 314–315 | doi =  | isbn = 978-0006386742}}</ref> This led to the formation of the [[Irish Volunteers]], a force dedicated to defending home rule, on [[25 November]] [[1913]].<ref>Kee, 201-2</ref> The Home Rule Act received [[Royal Assent]] on [[18 September]] [[1914]], but excluded an as yet undefined area in the Province of Ulster.<ref>Kee, 181-2</ref> The Bill was then suspended until after the [[World War I|World War]], which had broken out a month previously, causing the Irish Volunteers to split, a majority called the [[National Volunteers]] supporting the [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] and British war effort.  Meanwhile, the IRB, reorganised by [[Thomas Clarke (Irish republican)|Thomas Clarke]],<ref>Easter 1916: The Irish rebellion, Charles Townshend, 2005, page 18, The McGarrity Papers: revelations of the Irish revolutionary movement in Ireland and America 1900 – 1940, Sean Cronin, 1972, page 16, 30, The Provisional IRA, Patrick Bishop & Eamonn Mallie, 1988, page 23, The Secret Army: The IRA, Rv Ed, [[J. Bowyer Bell|J Bowyer Bell]] 1997, page 9, The IRA, Tim Pat Coogan, 1984, page 31</ref> and [[Seán Mac Diarmada|Seán MacDermott]], continued to plan, not for limited home rule under the [[British monarchy|British Crown]], but for an independent Irish Republic. <ref name="The Fenians">The Fenians, Michael Kenny, The National Museum of Ireland in association with Country House, Dublin, 1994, ISBN 0 946172 42 0</ref>

==Planning the Rising==
Plans for the Easter Rising began within days of the August declaration of the war against Germany. The Supreme Council of the IRB held a meeting in 25 Parnell Square and, under the old dictum that "England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity", decided to take action sometime before the conclusion of the war. The Council made three decisions: to establish a military council, seek whatever help possible from Germany, and secure control of the Volunteers.  

[[Image:Irish ten shilling coin (obverse).png|thumb|right|200px|An [[Commemorative coins of Ireland|Irish commemorative coin]] of the Easter rising.]]
Although the overall ambition of the IRB was the establishment of an independent Irish Republic, it was not through a single act of rebellion that this was to be achieved. According to historian Eoin Neeson, a plan involving a military victory was never a consideration, although the leaders considered there would be some military success.<ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. ?</ref> The IRB set out three objectives for the Rising: First, declare an Irish Republic, second, revitalise the spirit of the people and arouse separatist national fervour, and thirdly, claim a place at the post war peace conference. <ref name=" The Easter Rising">Michael Foy & Brian Barton, The Easter Rising, J.H. Haynes & Co., ISBN 0 7509 3433 6</ref>   

To this end, the IRB's treasurer, [[Tom Clarke (Irish republican)|Tom Clarke]], formed a Military Council to plan the rising, initially consisting of [[Padraig Pearse]], [[Eamonn Ceannt]], and [[Joseph Plunkett]], with himself and [[Seán Mac Diarmada]] added shortly thereafter. All of these were members of the IRB, and all but Clarke were members of the Irish Volunteers.<ref name=" The Easter Rising"/>

The second objective of the IRB was at this stage already well advanced. The IRB had infiltrated a number of social organisations, including the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]<ref>P. S. O’Hegarty writes that “of the seven founding members they were probably all Fenians, but at least four of them were.” While the Fenians used it naturally, it was not a political organisation, according to Hegarty; it remained faithful to its purpose: the Preservation and Cultivation of National Pastimes, though they did use it for the strengthening of national feeling generally. ''A History of Ireland Under the Union 1801 to 1922, pp. 611-612, P. S. O'Hegarty, Methuen & Co. Ltd, London</ref>, the [[Gaelic League]], [[Sinn Féin]], trade unions, and later the [[Irish Citizen Army]]. Through these organisations they wanted to provide the drive for nationalism, separatism and ultimately change.<ref name=" The Easter Rising"/> 

Since its inception in 1913, the Volunteers, whose formation was instigated by the IRB precisely for the purpose of staging a rising,<ref>Myths from Easter 1916, Eoin Neeson, 2007, page 79, Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion, Charles Townshend, 2005, page 41, The IRA, Tim Pat Coogan, 1970, page 33, The Irish Volunteers 1913-1915,F. X. Martin 1963, page 24, The Easter Rising, Michael Foy & Brian Barton, 2004, page 7, Myths from Easter 1916, Eoin Neeson, 2007, page 79, Victory of Sinn Féin, P.S. O’Hegarty, page 9-10, The Path to Freedom, Michael Collins, 1922, page 54, Irish Nationalism, Sean Cronin, 1981, page 105, A History of Ireland Under the Union, P. S. O’Hegarty, page 669, 1916: Easter Rising, Pat Coogan, page 50, Revolutionary Woman, Kathleen Clarke, 1991, page 44, The Bold Fenian Men, Robert Kee, 1976, page 203, The IRB: The Irish Republican Brotherhood from the League to Sinn Féin, Owen McGee, 2005, 353-354</ref> was increasingly coming under the control of that organisation, as IRB members worked to promote one another to officer rank whenever possible; hence by 1916 a large proportion of the Volunteer leadership were devoted republicans. A notable exception was their founder and Chief-of-Staff [[Eoin MacNeill]] who at the time was unaware of the IRB's intentions. MacNeill planned to use the Volunteers as a bargaining tool with Britain following World War I.<ref> F.S.L. Lyons, ''Ireland Since the Famine'', Collins/Fontana, 1971; p. 341</ref> <ref>MacNeill approved of armed resistance only if the British attempted to impose conscription on Ireland for the World War or if they launched a campaign of repression against Irish nationalist movements, in such a case he believed that they would have mass support. MacNeill's view was supported within the IRB, by [[Bulmer Hobson]]. Nevertheless, the IRB hoped either to win him over to their side (through deceit if necessary) or bypass his command altogether. Myths from Easter 1916, Eoin Neeson, 2007</ref>

Negotiations were opened with the [[German High Command]] represented by [[Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg|Count Bethmann-Hollweg]], Count Rudolph Nadolny and Captain Heydal in [[Germany]]. The IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) was represented by [[Joseph Plunkett]] (who travelled to Berlin in 1915) in addition to his father, [[Count Plunkett]]. <ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. ?</ref>  Roger Casement was also present, but viewed himself as the representative of the Volunteers. Casement was never a member of the IRB, and was kept unaware of the degree that the IRB had infiltrated the Volunteers.<ref>Brian Inglis, ''Roger Casement'', HBJ, 1973, p. 299</ref> In America also there were negotiations taking place with the German Ambassador in [[Washington]], [[Johann Heinrich von Bernstorff|Count Johann Heinrich von Bernsdorff]], and first secetary, [[Wolf von Igel]]. [[John Devoy]] leader of [[Clan na Gael]], was also involved in these negotiations. These negotiations were to continue through 1914, 1915 and 1916. From these negotiations the IRB received the agreement from the German government that if the Irish could establish their status as a nation “deprived of lawful statehood,” then Germany would afford them a hearing at the post-war peace conference.  <ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. ?</ref>  

[[James Connolly]], head of the [[Irish Citizen Army]] (ICA), a group of armed [[socialist]] [[trade union]] men and women, were completely unaware of the IRB's plans, and threatened to initiate a rebellion on their own if other parties refused to act. As the ICA was barely 200 strong, any action they might take would have been in the nature of a forlorn hope. Though if they had decided to go it alone, the IRB and the Volunteers would possibly have come to their aid. <ref>Eoin Neeson, ''Myths from Easter 1916'', p. ?</ref>  Thus the IRB leaders met with Connolly in January 1916 and convinced him to join forces with them. They agreed to act together the following Easter and made Connolly the sixth member of the Military Committee ([[Thomas MacDonagh]] would later become the seventh and final member).

In an effort to thwart informers and, indeed, the Volunteers' own leadership, Pearse issued orders in early April for three days of "parades and manoeuvres" by the Volunteers for Easter Sunday (which he had the authority to do, as Director of Organization). The idea was that the republicans within the organization (particularly IRB members) would know exactly what this meant, while men such as MacNeill and the British authorities in [[Dublin Castle]] would take it at face value. However, MacNeill got wind of what was afoot and threatened to "do everything possible short of phoning Dublin Castle" to prevent the rising.

MacNeill was briefly convinced to go along with some sort of action when Mac Diarmada revealed to him that a shipment of German arms was about to land in [[County Kerry]], planned by the IRB in conjunction with [[Roger Casement]]; he was certain that the authorities discovery of such a shipment would inevitably lead to suppression of the Volunteers, thus the Volunteers were justified in taking defensive action (including the originally planned maneuvers). <ref> Michael Tierney, ''Eoin MacNeill'', pp. 199, 214</ref> Casement, disappointed with the level of support offered by the Germans, returned to Ireland on a German [[U-boat]] and was captured upon landing at [[Banna Strand]] in Tralee Bay. The arms shipment, aboard the German ship ''[[Aud (ship)|Aud]]'' — disguised as a Norwegian fishing trawler—had been scuttled after interception by the British navy, as the local Volunteers had failed to rendezvous with it.

The following day, MacNeill reverted to his original position when he found out that the ship carrying the arms had been scuttled. With the support of other leaders of like mind, notably [[Bulmer Hobson]] and [[The O'Rahilly]], he issued a countermand to all Volunteers, canceling all actions for Sunday. This only succeeded in putting the rising off for a day, although it greatly reduced the number of Volunteers who turned out.

[[Naval Intelligence Division|British Naval Intelligence]] had been aware of the arms shipment, Casement's return and the Easter date for the rising through radio messages between Germany and its embassy in the United States that were intercepted by the Navy and deciphered in [[Room 40]] of the Admiralty.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 138</ref>  The information was passed to the [[Under-Secretary for Ireland]], Sir [[Matthew Nathan]], on 17 April, but without revealing its source, and Nathan was doubtful about its accuracy.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 79</ref>  When news reached Dublin of the capture of the ''Aud'' and the arrest of Casement, Nathan conferred with the [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland|Lord Lieutenant]], [[Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne|Lord Wimborne]].  Nathan proposed to raid [[Liberty Hall]], headquarters of the Citizen Army, and Volunteer properties at Father Matthew Park and at [[Kimmage]], but Wimborne was insisting on wholesale arrests of the leaders.  It was decided to postpone action until after Easter Monday and in the meantime Nathan telegraphed the [[Chief Secretary for Ireland|Chief Secretary]], [[Augustine Birrell]], in London seeking his approval.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', pp. 81-87</ref>  By the time Birrell cabled his reply authorising the action, at noon on Monday [[24 April]] [[1916]], the Rising had already begun.

==The Rising==
===The Rising in Dublin===
{{citations}}
[[Image:Irishrep.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Flag raised by Eamon Bulfin over GPO during the Rising.]]
The Volunteers' Dublin division was organized into four battalions.  The 1st battalion under Commandant [[Edward Daly (Irish revolutionary)|Ned Daly]] seized the [[Four Courts]] and areas to the northwest; the 2nd battalion under Commandant [[Thomas MacDonagh]] established itself at Jacob's Biscuit Factory, south of the city center; in the east Commandant [[Éamon de Valera]] commanded the 3rd battalion at Boland's Bakery; and Commandant [[Éamonn Ceannt]]'s 4th battalion took the workhouse known as the South Dublin Union to the southwest.  A joint force of Volunteers and Citizen Army under James Connolly occupied the [[General Post Office (Dublin)|General Post Office]]. This was the headquarters battalion, and included the President and [[Commander-in-Chief]], Pearse, the commander of the Dublin division, [[James Connolly|Connolly]], as well as Clarke, [[Seán Mac Diarmada|Mac Dermott]] and [[Joseph Mary Plunkett|Plunkett]].  Two flags were hoisted by [[Eamon Bulfin]] on the flag poles on either end of the GPO roof: the [[Flag of Ireland|tricolour]] at the right corner at Henry Street and a green flag with the inscription 'Irish Republic' at the left corner at Princess Street. A short time later, Pearse read the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Proclamation of the Republic]] outside the GPO. 

A small team of volunteers attacked the Magazine Fort in the [[Phoenix Park]] in an effort to obtain weapons and create a large explosion to signal the start of the rising.  Members of the ICA under [[Michael Mallin]] and [[Constance Markiewicz]] occupied [[St. Stephen's Green]]. An ICA unit under Seán Connolly made an assault on [[Dublin Castle]], not knowing that it was defended by only a handful of troops. After shooting dead a police sentry and taking several casualties themselves from sniper fire, the group occupied the adjacent Dublin City Hall. Seán Connolly was an early casualty, being killed on Monday afternoon. Other volunteers also occupied 25 Northumberland Road and Clanwilliam House at Mount Street Bridge.
[[Image:Easter rising 1916.jpg|thumb|250px|Placements of Rebel forces and British troops around the River Liffey in Dublin during the engagements.]]
British forces initially put their efforts into securing the approaches to Dublin Castle and isolating the rebel headquarters, which they believed was in Liberty Hall.  The British commander, Brigadier-General Lowe, worked slowly, unsure of the size of the force he was up against, and with only 1,200 troops in the city when he arrived from the [[Curragh Camp]] in the early hours of Tuesday 25 April. City Hall was taken on Tuesday morning.  The rebel position at [[St Stephen's Green]], held by the Citizen Army under [[Michael Mallin]], was made untenable after the British placed snipers and machine guns in the [[Shelbourne Hotel]] and surrounding buildings. As a result, Mallin's men retreated to the [[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland|Royal College of Surgeons]] building.  British firepower was provided by field artillery summoned from their garrison at [[Athlone]] which they positioned on the northside of the city at [[Phibsboro]]ugh and at [[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]], and by the patrol vessel ''[[LÉ Muirchú|Helga]]'', which sailed upriver from Kingstown. [[Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne|Lord Wimborne]], the Lord Lieutenant, declared [[martial law]] on Tuesday evening.  On Wednesday, 26 April, the guns at Trinity College and ''Helga'' shelled Liberty Hall, and the Trinity College guns then began firing at rebel positions in O'Connell Street.

[[Image:Front Page Irish War News.JPG|thumb|upright|left|''Irish War News'', produced during the Rising]]
Reinforcements were sent to Dublin from England, and disembarked at Kingstown on the morning of 26 April.  Heavy fighting occurred at the rebel-held positions around the [[Grand Canal of Ireland|Grand Canal]] as these troops advanced towards Dublin.  the [[Sherwood Foresters]] regiment were repeatedly caught in a cross-fire trying to cross the canal at Mount Street. Seventeen volunteers were able to severely disrupt the British advance, killing or wounding 240 men. The rebel position at the South Dublin Union (site of the present day [[St. James's Hospital]]), further west along the canal, also inflicted heavy losses on British troops trying to advance towards Dublin Castle. [[Cathal Brugha]], a rebel officer, distinguished himself in this action and was badly wounded.

The headquarters garrison, after days of shelling, were forced to abandon their headquarters when fire caused by the shells spread to the GPO. They tunnelled through the walls of the neighbouring buildings in order to evacuate the Post Office without coming under fire and took up a new position in [[Moore Street]]. On Saturday [[29 April]] from this new headquarters, after realizing that they could not break out of this position without further loss of civilian life, Pearse issued an order for all companies to surrender.

===The Rising outside Dublin===
{{citations}}
[[Image:GeneralPostOfficeDublin 20060803 KaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|General Post Office, Dublin. Centre of the Easter Rising.]]
Irish Volunteer units turned out for the Rising in several places outside of Dublin, but due to Eoin MacNeill's countermanding order, most of them returned home without fighting. In addition, due to the interception of the German arms aboard the ''Aud'', the provincial Volunteer units were very poorly armed. 

At [[Ashbourne, County Meath]], the North [[County Dublin]] Volunteers (also known as the Fingal Volunteers), led by [[Thomas Ashe]] and his second in command [[Richard Mulcahy]], attacked the RIC barracks. Reinforcements came from [[Slane]] and after a five-hour battle, the Volunteers captured over 90 prisoners. There were 8–10 RIC deaths and two Volunteer fatalities, John Crennigan and Thomas Rafferty. The action pre-figured the [[guerrilla]] tactics of the [[Irish Republican Army]] in the [[Irish War of Independence]] from 1919 to 1921. 
Elsewhere in the east, [[Seán MacEntee]] and [[County Louth]] Volunteers killed a policeman and a prison guard. In [[County Wexford]], the Volunteers took over [[Enniscorthy]] from Tuesday until Friday, before symbolically surrendering to the British Army at Vinegar Hill – site of a famous [[battle of Vinegar Hill|battle]] during the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]. 

In the west, [[Liam Mellows]] led 600-700 Volunteers in abortive attacks on several police stations, at [[Oranmore]] and [[Clarinbridge]] in [[County Galway]]. There was also a skirmish at [[Carnmore]] in which two RIC men were killed. However his men were poorly-armed, with only 25 rifles and 300 shotguns, many of them being equipped only with [[pike (weapon)|pikes]]. Towards the end of the week, Mellows' followers were increasingly poorly-fed and heard that large British reinforcements were being sent westwards. In addition, the British warship, [[HMS Gloucester (1909)|HMS ''Gloucester'']] arrived in [[Galway Bay]] and shelled the fields around [[Athenry]] where the rebels were based. On 29 April the Volunteers, judging the situation to be hopeless, dispersed from the town of Athenry. Many of these Volunteers were arrested in the period following the rising, while others, including Mellows had to go "on the run" to escape. By the time British reinforcements arrived in the west, the rising there had already disintegrated. 

In the north, several Volunteer companies were mobilised in [[County Tyrone]] and 132 men on the [[Falls Road (Belfast)|Falls Road]] in [[Belfast]]. 

In the south, around 1,000 Volunteers mustered in [[Cork (city)|Cork]], under [[Tomás Mac Curtain]] on Easter Sunday, but they dispersed after receiving several contradictory orders from the Volunteer leadership in Dublin.

===Casualties===
The British Army reported casualties of 116 dead, 368 wounded and 9 missing. 16 policemen died and 29 were wounded. Irish casualties were 318 dead and 2,217 wounded. The Volunteers and ICA recorded 64 killed in action, but otherwise Irish casualties were not divided into rebels and civilians.<ref>Foy and Barton, ''The Easter Rising'', page 325</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[Image:Kilmainham Jail memorial plaque.jpg|thumb|[[Kilmainham Gaol]] memorial plaque in the stone breakers yard, where the executions took place in the aftermath of the Rebellion.]]
[[John Maxwell (British Army officer)|General Maxwell]] quickly signalled his intention “to arrest all dangerous Sinn Feiners,” including “those who have taken an active part in the movement although not in the present rebellion,”<ref>Townshend, ''Easter 1916'', page 273</ref> reflecting the popular belief that [[Sinn Féin]], a separatist organisation that was neither militant nor republican, was behind the Rising.  

A total of 3,430 men and 79 women were arrested, although most were subsequently released.  In attempting to arrest members of the Kent family in [[County Cork]] on [[2 May]], a Head Constable was shot dead in a gun battle. Richard Kent was also killed, and [[Thomas Kent|Thomas]] and William Kent were arrested. 

In a series of [[court martial|courts martial]] beginning on [[2 May]] ninety people were sentenced to death. Fifteen of those (including all seven signatories of the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Proclamation]]) had their sentences confirmed by Maxwell and were executed by firing squad between [[3 May]] and [[12 May]] (among them the seriously-wounded Connolly, shot while tied to a chair because he was too weak to stand). Not all of those executed were leaders: [[Willie Pearse]] described himself as "a personal attaché to my brother, Patrick Pearse"; [[John MacBride]] had not even been aware of the Rising until it began, but had fought against the British in the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]] fifteen years before; [[Thomas Kent]] did not come out at all—he was executed for the killing of a police officer during the raid on his house the week after the Rising. The most prominent leader to escape execution was Eamon de Valera, Commandant of the 3rd Battalion. 
[[Image:1916 plot and memorial.jpg|thumb|The Leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were buried in the old prison yard of Arbour Hill prison. The memorial was designed by G. McNicholl, the Proclamation of 1916 is inscribed on the wall in both Irish and English.]]
A [[Royal Commission]] was set up to enquire into the causes of the Rising.  It began hearings on 18 May under the chairmanship of [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Lord Hardinge of Penshurst]].  The Commission heard evidence from Sir Matthew Nathan, Augustine Birrell, Lord Wimborne, Sir [[Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain|Neville Chamberlain]] (Inspector-General of the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]]), General [[Lovick Friend]], Major Ivor Price of Military Intelligence and others.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'' pp. 153-159</ref>  The report, published on 26 June, was critical of the Dublin administration, saying that "Ireland for several years had been administered on the principle that it was safer and more expedient to leave the law in abeyance if collision with any faction of the Irish people could thereby be avoided."<ref>Townshend, Charles, ''Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion'' p. 297</ref>  Birrell and Nathan had resigned immediately after the Rising.  Wimborne had also reluctantly resigned, but was re-appointed, and Chamberlain resigned soon after.

1,480 men were interned in England and Wales under Regulation 14B of the [[Defence of the Realm Act 1914]], many of whom, like [[Arthur Griffith]], had little or nothing to do with the affair. Camps such as [[Frongoch internment camp]] became “Universities of Revolution” where future leaders like [[Michael Collins]], [[Terence McSwiney]] and [[J. J. O’Connell]] began to plan the coming struggle for independence.<ref>[http://www.ballinagree.freeservers.com/fronwhisk.html ''The Green Dragon'' No 4, Autumn 1997]</ref> [[Roger Casement]] was tried in [[London]] for [[high treason]] and [[hanging|hanged]] at [[Pentonville (HM Prison)|Pentonville Prison]] on [[3 August]].

Some historians believe that the decision to execute the leaders backfired. Public opinion in Ireland was initially opposed to the Rising. Prisoners were jeered after the surrender and executions were demanded in motions passed in some Irish local authorities and by many newspapers, including the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' and ''[[The Irish Times]]''.<ref name=newspapers>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/newspapers/ 1916 Easter Rising - Newspaper archive] &mdash; ''from the [[BBC]] History website''</ref> However, the number and swiftness of the executions, combined with the arrests and deportations and the destruction of the centre of Dublin by the artillery, led to a surge of support for the rebels and freed internees returning from England received a hero’s welcome on their arrival in Ireland. 

A meeting called by [[Count Plunkett]] on [[19 April]] [[1917]] led to the formation of a broad political movement under the banner of Sinn Féin<ref>[[J. Bowyer Bell]], ''The Secret Army: The IRA'', page 27</ref> which was formalised at the Sinn Féin [[Ard Fheis]] of [[25 October]] [[1917]]. The [[Conscription Crisis of 1918]] further intensified public support for Sinn Féin before the [[Irish (UK) general election, 1918|general elections]] to the [[British Parliament]] on [[14 December]] [[1918]], which resulted in a landslide victory for Sinn Féin, whose [[Member of Parliament|MP]]s gathered in Dublin on [[21 January]] [[1919]] to form [[First Dáil|Dáil Éireann]] and adopt the [[Declaration of Independence (Ireland)|Declaration of Independence]].<ref> Robert Kee ''The Green Flag: Ourselves Alone'' </ref>

==Legacy of the Rising==
[[Image:GPO Easter Rising Plaque.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A plaque commemorating the Easter Rising at the [[General Post Office (Dublin)|General Post Office, Dublin]], with the [[Irish language|Irish]] text in [[Gaelic script]], and the English text in regular [[Latin script]].]]
The Easter Rising was the first blow in the struggle that culminated in the [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]] and therefore the first step on the road to that Independence. Some survivors of the Rising went on to become leaders of the nation and those who died were venerated as [[martyr]]s. Their graves in Arbour Hill military prison in Dublin became a national monument and the text of the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Proclamation]] was taught in schools.  An annual commemoration, in the form of a military parade, was held each year on Easter Sunday, culminating in a huge national celebration on the 50th anniversary in 1966.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/laweb/ll/ll_t06_other_a.html RTÉ: 1966 News Items Relating to the 1916 Easter Rising Commemorations]</ref>

With the outbreak of [[the Troubles]] in [[Northern Ireland]], government, academics and the media began to revise the country’s militant past, and particularly the Easter Rising. The [[Government of the 20th Dáil|coalition government]] of 1973—1977, in particular the [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Ireland)|Minister for Posts and Telegraphs]], [[Conor Cruise O'Brien]], began to promote the view that the violence of 1916 was essentially no different to the violence then taking place in the streets of Belfast and Derry. 
Cruise O'Brien and others asserted that the Rising was doomed to military defeat from the outset, and that it failed to account for the determination of [[Unionism in Ireland|Ulster Unionists]] to remain in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]].<ref>O'Brien, Conor Cruise, ''States of Ireland'' Hutchinson, 1972 ISBN 0 09 113100 6, pp. 88, 99</ref>  "Revisionist" historians<ref>Deane, Seamus, ''Wherever Green is Read'', in Ní Dhonnchadha and Dorgan, ''Revising the Rising'', Field Day, Derry, 1991 ISBN 0 946755 25 6, p. 91</ref> began to write of it in terms of a "blood sacrifice."<ref>Foster, Roy F., ''Modern Ireland 1600 – 1972'', Penguin 1989 ISBN 978-0140132502, p. 484</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:11gpo191~11.jpg|thumb|upright|A modern Irish Republican representation of the Rising - A wall mural in [[Ardoyne]] in [[Belfast]].]] -->
While the Rising and its leaders continued to be venerated by Irish republicans – including members and supporters of the [[Provisional IRA|IRA]] and [[Sinn Féin]] – with murals in republican areas of Belfast and other towns celebrating the actions of Pearse and his comrades, and a number of parades held annually in remembrance of the Rising, the Irish government discontinued its annual parade in Dublin in the early 1970s, and in 1976 it took the unprecedented step of proscribing (under the [[Offences against the State Acts 1939-1998|Offences against the State Act]]) a 1916 commemoration ceremony at the GPO organised by Sinn Féin and the Republican commemoration Committee.<ref>Irish Times, 22 April 1976</ref> A [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]],  David Thornley, embarrassed the government (of which Labour was a member) by appearing on the platform at the ceremony, along with [[Máire Comerford]], a survivor of the Rising, and Fiona Plunkett, sister of Joseph Plunkett.<ref>Irish times, 26 April 1976</ref> This culminated in the complete ignoring of the seventy fifth anniversary of the Rising in 1991 by the State. With the advent of a [[Provisional IRA]] ceasefire and the beginning of what became known as the [[Northern Ireland peace process|Peace Process]] during the 1990s, the official view of the Rising became more positive and in 1996 an eightieth anniversary commemoration at the [[Garden of Remembrance (Dublin)|Garden of Remembrance]] in Dublin was attended by the [[Taoiseach]] and leader of [[Fine Gael]], [[John Bruton]].<ref>[http://www.village.ie/Ireland/Feature/Reconstructing_the_Easter_Rising/ Reconstructing the Easter Rising], Colin Murphy, ''The Village'', 16 February 2006</ref> In 2005 the Taoiseach, [[Bertie Ahern]], announced the government’s intention to resume the military parade past the GPO from Easter 2006, and to form a committee to plan centenary celebrations in 2016.<ref>Irish Times, 22 October 2005</ref>

==90th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising==
[[Image:Garden of Remembrance Irish Freedom.JPG|thumb|Garden of Remembrance Dublin]]
The 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising was commemorated by a military parade held in Dublin on [[Easter Sunday]], [[16 April]] [[2006]]. The [[President of Ireland]], the [[Lord Mayor of Dublin]], the [[Taoiseach]], members of the [[Irish Government]] and other invited guests reviewed the parade as it passed the [[General Post Office (Dublin)|General Post Office]], headquarters of the Rising. The parade comprised some 2500 personnel from the [[Irish Defence Forces]] (representing the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service, Irish Army Reserve and Naval Reserve), the [[Garda Síochána]], Irish United Nations Veterans Association and members of the [[Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women]]. The parade started at [[Dublin Castle]] and proceeded via [[Dame Street]] and [[College Green]] to the [[GPO]], where a wreath was laid by the President. This was the first official commemoration held in Dublin since the early 1970s.

==See also==
* "[[Easter, 1916]]", a [[poem]] by [[William Butler Yeats]] 
* [[Ballymun flats]]

==Notes==
[[Image:Garden of Remembrance Children of Lir.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Garden of Remembrance (Dublin)|Garden of Remembrance]] was opened in 1966, to mark the anniversary of the Rising. The Garden is "dedicated to all those who gave their lives in the fight for Ireland's freedom."]]
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*Bell, J. Bowyer, ''The Secret Army: The IRA'' ISBN 1-85371-813-0
*Caulfield, Max, ''The Easter Rebellion, Dublin 1916'' ISBN 1-57098-042-X
*[[Tim Pat Coogan|Coogan, Tim Pat]], ''1916: The Easter Rising'' ISBN 0-304-35902-5
*[[Tim Pat Coogan|Coogan, Tim Pat]], The IRA (Fully Revised & Updated), HarperCollins, London, 2000, ISBN 0 00 653155 5
*Foy, Michael and Barton, Brian, ''The Easter Rising'' ISBN 0-7509-2616-3
*[[C. Desmond Greaves|Greaves, C. Desmond]], ''The Life and Times of James Connolly''
*[[Robert Kee|Kee, Robert]], ''The Green Flag'' ISBN 0-14-029165-2
*[[Conor Kostick|Kostick, Conor]] & Collins, Lorcan, ''The Easter Rising, A Guide to Dublin in 1916'' ISBN 0-86278-638-X
*[[F.S.L. Lyons|Lyons, F.S.L.]], ''Ireland Since the Famine''  ISBN 0-00-633200-5
*Martin, F.X. (ed.), ''Leaders and Men of the Easter Rising, Dublin 1916''
*[[Dorothy Macardle|Macardle, Dorothy]], ''The Irish Republic''
*Murphy, John A., ''Ireland In the Twentieth Century''
*Neeson, Eoin, Myths from Easter 1916, Aubane Historical Society, Cork, 2007, ISBN 978 1 903497 34 0
*Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', Sidgwick & Jackson, 1970
*Purdon, Edward, ''The 1916 Rising''
*Townshend, Charles, ''Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion''
*''The Memoirs of John M. Regan, a Catholic Officer in the RIC and RUC, 1909–48'', Joost Augusteijn, editor, ''Witnessed Rising'', ISBN 978-1-84682-069-4.

==External links==
*[http://www.nli.ie/1916 The 1916 Rising - an Online Exhibition.] [[National Library of Ireland]]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/personal/ Essay on the Rising], by [[Garret FitzGerald]]
*[http://www.ireland.com/focus/easterrising/sunday/ Special 90th Anniversary supplement] from ''[[The Irish Times]]''
*[http://www.rte.ie/laweb/ll/ll_t06_schedule_a.html Easter Rising 50th Anniversary audio & video footage] from [[RTÉ]] (Irish public television)
*[http://www.1916rising.com/ Easter Rising site and walking tour of 1916 Dublin]
*[http://150.theage.com.au/view_bestofarticle.asp?straction=update&inttype=1&intid=817 News articles and letters to the editor in "The Age", 27 April 1916] 
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/newspapers/index.shtml Press comments 1916-1996] 
*[http://www.NormanTeeling.com/rising.php The 1916 Rising by Norman Teeling] a ten-painting suite acquired by  [[An Post]] for permanent display at the [[General Post Office (Dublin)]]


{{Campaign
|name=Creation of independent Irish state
|battles=[[Easter Rising|Easter Rising (1916)]] - [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence (1919-21)]] - [[Irish Civil War|Civil War (1922-23)]]
}}

{{Easter Rising}}

[[Category:History of Ireland 1801-1922]]
[[Category:Irish rebellions]]
[[Category:Wars involving Ireland]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1916]]
[[Category:History of County Dublin]]
[[Category:1916 in Ireland]]

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