Easter Rising
Early in 1914 the Carsonite Volunteers, with the connivance of British
sympathisers in high places, ran a big cargo of arms ashore at Larne. Forthwith the
British Government prohibited the importation of rams into Ireland, lest the Nationalists
should secure weapons too. The Irish Volunteers thus organised an illegal shipment of arms
to Howth from the Continent. A rising had been planned for Easter Sunday. But on Easter
Monday, soon after noon, the Irish Republic was proclaimed in Dublin, and the insurgent
Tricolour suddenly broke on startled eyes from the flagstaff above the General Post Office
in the heart of the Irish capital. The Easter Monday Rising, however, had no such military
prospects of success. There was always, of course, the chance that a German success on the
Western Front would break Englands defences and allow substantial help to be sent before
the Rising was crushed, but this proved a vain hope. On the morning of Easter Monday,
April 24th 1916, the Dublin battalions paraded, bearing full arms and one days rations.
Shortly after noon, the General Post Office, the Four Courts, three of the railway
termini, and other important points circling the centre of Dublin were rushed and
occupied. The Proclamation of the Irish Republic was published in big placards :
Poblacht na hEireann
The Provisional Government of the Irish Republic
To the People of Ireland
Irishmen and Irishwomen ! In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she
receives the old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her
flag, and strikes for her freedom …….
We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the
unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible……In
every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to National freedom and
sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms.
Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the
world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent Sate, and we
pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades to the cause of its freedom, of its
welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations ……
The Republic guarantees civil and religious liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities
to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of
the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally,
and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which have
divided a minority from the majority in the past …….
We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God, whose
blessing we invoke upon our arms…… In this supreme hour the Irish nation must,
by its valour and discipline, and by the readiness of its children, to sacrifice
themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is
called.
Signed on behalf of the Provisional Government
Thomas J Clarke
Sean MacDiarmada Thomas MacDonagh
P H Pearse Eamon Ceannt
James Connolly Joseph Plunkett
There was little fighting on the first day of the Rising. Wholly unprepared since it was
believed that the Volunteers had abandoned the project, the British authorities were taken
by surprise and could not immediately muster forces to attack the insurgents before they
had "dug themselves in". It was on Tuesday that a British force of some 4500 men
attacked the rebel strongholds and secured the Castle. A cordon was then drawn around the
north of the city, some of the rebel outposts being attacked and broken with rifle or
artillery. Meanwhile large reinforcements were being hurried into Ireland. On the Thursday
the encircling forces pressed closer and penetrated to the central scene of operations.
Liberty Hall had been shattered by gunfire from the river, and now shells ignited great
buildings in O’Connell Street. The lines of communication between the insurgent
strongholds were broken, and the British Forces, concentrated on reducing headquarters,
the General Post Office, over which the Republican flag still flew.
In Co Galway Liam Mellows led a large body of insurgents on Galway city. A gunboat in
Galway Bay dispersed them by shellfire. At Athenry, the insurgent camp was surrounded and
dispersed when the hopelessness of resistance became clear.
O Friday, a terrific bombardment had set the centre of Dublin city wholly ablaze. Banks,
churches and business places were aflame and tottering. The loss of life among
non-combatants was appalling. Commandant Daly had destroyed the Linen hall Barracks but
was now surrounded at the Four Courts. Countess Markievicz, after being driven out of
trenches in Stephens Green, was defending the College of Surgeons. Commandant McDonagh was
surrounded in Jacobs factory. Commandant de Valera, whose men had so tenaciously resisted
the advance from the south, was now holding Bolands Mills, while Commandant Ceannt held
part of the South Dublin Union. On Saturday at 2pm Pearse surrendered to Sir John Maxwell
unconditionally. And so the Rising ended, the outstanding forces laying down arms on the
Sunday. All the signatories of the Republican declaration were put to death. Some death
sentences were commuted to sentences of imprisonment for life, happily for Ireland,
Commandant de Valera escaping thus. After a year the prisoners were released for the
purpose of English propaganda in America. When one year later that is, in 1918, England
decreed the conscription of Irelands manhood to save her from the great German advance, it
was around deValera that the nation rallied. His coolness and wisdom saved Ireland from a
bloody defeat, and secured a moral victory. In December, at the General Election, all
Nationalist Ireland declared its allegiance to the Republican ideal, and the Sinn Fein
policy of abstention from Westminster was adopted. In January, the republican
representatives assembled in Dublin and founded Dail Eireann, the Irish Constituent
Assembly, proclaiming the Republic once again. A message was sent to the nations of the
world requesting the recognition of the free Irish Sate, and a national government was
erected.
No sooner had the new Government begun to flourish, established its
Courts, appointed Consuls, started a stock-taking of the country’s undeveloped
natural resources, and put a hundred constructive schemes to work, than Britain stepped
in, with her army of Soldiers and Constabulary, to counter the work, harassing and
imprisoning the workers. This move of Englands called forth a secretly built-up Irish
Republican Army which, early in 1920, began a guerilla warfare, and quickly succeeded in
clearing vast districts of the Constabulary who were ever Englands right arm in Ireland.
Lloyd George met this not only by pouring into Ireland regiments of soldiers with tanks,
armoured cars and all the other terrorising paraphernalia that had been found useful in
the European War, but also by organising and turning loose upon Ireland an irregular force
of Britons, among the most vicious and bloodthirsty known to history - the force which
quickly became notorious to the world under the title of the Black and Tans. Yet the well
planned campaign for the quick wasting of Ireland, and breaking of Irelands spirit did not
come off on schedule. The atrocities which were meant to frighten and subdue, only
stimulated the outraged nation to more vigour ; and by the time the fight was expected to
end it was found to be only well begun. More than by anything else, probably, the world
was awakened to the truth of the situation in Ireland through the extraordinary heroism of
Terence MacSwiney, who in protest against the foreign tyranny which seized and jailed him
as a criminal for the guilt of working for his country, refused to eat in British dungeon,
till, after three months of slow and painful starving to death, with the wondering world
literally by his bedside watching his death agonies, he at length went to join the joyful
company of martyrs who had died that Ireland might live. The world was stirred. The
terrible truth about Britains rape of Ireland began to be realise - and began to call
forth muttered foreign protest. In the spring of 1921 there was galloped through the
English Parliament a "Home Rule Bill" for Ireland - whose object was by giving
the eastern part of Ulster, the Orange corner, a Parliament of its own, to detach it from
the rest of Ireland, thus dividing the nation on sectarian lines, and by the Orangemens
aid strengthening the foreign grip on the whole country. In deference to his Kings pious
wish, the Prime Minister invited Sinn Fein to a parley. Ireland had proved unconquerable
by any other means. President De Valera for the Irish Republic accepted the invitation. To
De Valera in this parley, offer was made to give Ireland what George called "Dominion
status" - supposedly that amount of freedom under the British Crown which is the lot
of Canada and Australia - but less the control by Britain of the Irish harbours, seas,
skies and some other perquisites - which offer was promptly and unanimously rejected by An
Dail Eireann. Then, after resorting to threat of a renewed war upon Ireland far more
fierce than had gone before, the English Prime Minister invited Ireland to send delegates
to a peace conference, on the understanding that the idea of separating Ireland from the
British Crown should not be considered. De Valera, for An Dail Eireann, refused such
condition. Lloyd George finally called for a conference free of conditions to be held in
London on October 11th 1921. President De Valera accepted the invitation. An Irish
delegation headed by Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins met representatives of the
British Cabinet in London, and after six weeks conference, the Irish delegates, compelled
by threat of renewed ruthless warfare on their prostate land, signed a compromise treaty
on December 6th. The British Parliament almost unanimously ratified the treaty for
Britain. But in Ireland De Valera fought for a change in the treaty terms - and a change
in the form of oath. He would "externally associate" Ireland with the British
Empire and would have elected Irish representatives swear to "recognize" the
English king as the head of the association of British nations with which Ireland now
joined. An important group of the Irish workers and fighters held out for the Irish
Republic, which had been consecrated by the blood of Pearse, Connolly, Clarke and their
gallant companions, and by a thousand martyrs since. After long and hot debate, the Dail
Eireann, on January 7th 1922, ratified the treaty by a narrow majority.
An, seemingly an end was put to one phase of Irelands struggle. But the end was not yet.
The treaty was signed on behalf of Ireland by Arthur Griffith, Michael
Collins, Robert Barton, Eamon Duggan and George Gavan Duffy. The first three were
Ministers of the Irish Executive Council. The delegates returned to find the Dail already
split - those members who were in favour of the Treaty on one side and those opposed on
the other. President de Valera heading the opposition, opposed the Treaty because (1) the
Partition clause (2) the inclusion of an oath of allegiance to the King of England (3) the
appointment of a Governor General to represent the British King in Dublin (4) the
retention by the British of certain Irish ports which were to be used by the British naval
fleet as naval bases. The proponents of the Treaty held it would be madness to reject it
because, while Ireland was too exhausted to continue the fight now, it gave Ireland an
immensely greater measure of independence than had ever been offered in any Home Rule
bill, involving complete control of Local Government, education, customs and excise,
police force and a limited army. Arthur Griffith believed that the Boundary clause in the
Treaty would end partition. The vote, taken on January 7th 1922, revealed 64 of the
deputies in favour of the Treaty and 57 against. The pro-Treaty party, under Arthur
Griffith and Michael Collins, became known henceforth as the Free State party, the
anti-Treaty party as the Republicans. A provisional government was formed with Arthur
Griffith as President, Michael Collins of Finance, William Cosgrave as Minister for Local
Government, George Gavan Duffy as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin O’Higgins as
Minister for Economic Affairs and Richard Mulcahy as Minister for Defence. On January 14th
the 64 pro-Treaty members met to form a Provisional Government and officially approve the
Treaty. Evacuation of British troops from the twenty-six counties was begun at once, also
disbanding of the disreputable Irish Constabulary and evacuation of the hated Auxiliaries
and bloody-handed Black and Tans. An Irish police force, the Civic Guard was formed.
During the first six months of 1922 the country gradually drifted into Civil War.
Republican troops had occupied the Four Courts and other public buildings in Dublin in
April and were entrenched there. On June 1926 came what amounted to an ultimatum from
Winston Churchill, speaking for the British Government, demanding that the Provisional
Government should immediately dislodge the Irish Republican Army from these positions. The
Free State troops opened fire on the Four Courts on June 26, the siege lasted two days and
ended in the burning of the building. The fighting continued intermittently throughout the
country until May 1923, when De Valera called on the remnant of the Republicans to cease
fire - but, despite this, many small bodies of them perseveringly carried on a harassing
guerilla warfare. In August 1922, Arthur Griffith, President of the Dail, died suddenly. A
few days later, Michael Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the Free State forces was killed in
an ambush in Cork. During the succeeding months seventy-seven Republican prisoners were
executed. They included Rory O’Connor, Liam Mellows and Erskine Childers. The first
meeting of the newly elected Dail was held under heavy guard in the autumn of 1922. In
September was begun the formulation of the Free State Constitution. William Cosgrave, who
had been chosen as Vice President by Arthur Griffith, was President of this Dail. Cabinet
members were Kevin O’Higgins, Richard Mulcahy, Ernest Blythe, Desmond Fitzgerald and
Patrick Hogan. The Republican party did not take their seats in this Dail as they refused
to take the oath of allegiance - so from 1923 to 1927 the Government party functioned
without opposition except from a small Labour group and a few pro-British Independents. In
1924, in accordance with terms of the Treaty, a Boundary Commission was set up - for
altering or confirming the provisional boundary between "Northern" Ireland and
the Free State. The situation was aggravated by the continuing bitterness between the
Government party and the Republicans and by the severe agricultural depression - which was
a part of the prevailing world depression. The second General Election was held in 1927,
showing a decided gain for the Republicans. Fianna Fail (Republicans) still declined to
sit because of the oath of allegiance and things seemed about to progress as before. But
on Sunday July 10th 1927, Kevin O’Higgins, Vice President was assassinated. Faced
with the alternative of seeing his party denied all power to register the amount of
popular support accorded them, and being determined to embark on a constitutional
movement, Mr De Valera after publicly declaring that he attached no binding power to an
oath that was forced on them, led his party into the Dail and went through the form of
oath-taking on August 12th 1927. Early in 1932 Cosgrave government was defeated on a vote
in the Dail and a General Election was called. De Valera took 72 of the 151 seats against
Cosgrave’s 65, and assumed office forthwith. Heat once introduced a bill to remove
the oath of allegiance and with the help of the Labour party carried it through the Dail.
From the time the Fianna Fail party took office, payment of the land annuities to Britain
were withheld, leading to a bitter quarrel between the two countries and developing into
an economic war. In 1938 the British government called a halt, and began negotiations for
settlement of the dispute. Mr De Valera refused to enter the negotiations unless the whole
general field of relations between the two counties was brought into review. In the
result, the British accepted the sum of ten million pounds in lieu of the annuities - a
small fraction of their worth - and agreed to hand over the reserved ports of Cobh,
Berehaven and Lough Swilly to the Irish government. The British refused however, to
negotiate on the question of Irelands partition and that problem remained outstanding. In
1938 came one of the greatest achievements of the Irish government - the enactment of the
new Constitution. The Constitution asserts that Ireland is a sovereign and democratic
state, and all powers derive under God from the people, who are the final arbiters of any
and every question. The principles of social justice which are set forth in the
Constitution are of the highest order. Shortly after de Valera came to power, it was the
turn of Irelands representative to preside at the League of Nations. De Valera did so with
distinction and pride. Later in 1938 he told the world through the medium of the League,
that civilisation was heading for disaster and destruction in another world war. He said
that if and when that war came and was over, there would be another "Peace"
conference - but why should not a real peace conference come first ? so that the world
might be saved pain, misery, disillusionment and destruction. His words were not listened
to.
The Dawning
The final chapter of the story of the Irish Race will not be written
till, please God, many a long and glorious Irish day shall yet have come and gone.