Easter 1916: The Resurrection of Irish Independence

On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, approximately 1,600 poorly-armed Irish men and women took control of strategic buildings in Dublin and issued the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The British crushed the insurrection within six days, with fierce fighting killing an estimated 450, wounding more than 2,600, and destroying parts of the city. This was followed by the execution of the 15 leaders of the Rising, arbitrary arrests, the deportation of 2,500 prisoners to camps in Britain, and martial law. It was not the first Irish uprising subdued by the British, but it was a pivotal one. 

Although the Easter Rising was initially a failure, the subsequent disproportionate British repression and political exploitation of the British actions by the Irish nationalists convinced the Irish people that independence was now imperative. A landslide victory in favor of the separatists in the December 1918 elections led to the January 1919 issuance of the Irish Declaration of Independence and formation of the Irish Republic, a predecessor entity to the Irish Free State of 1922 and the Republic of Ireland, established in 1949. 

The journey from 1916 to 1922 was difficult, complex, and multifaceted, involving stakeholders as diverse as trade unions and literary figures. As the delegates of this committee, you will take on roles representing a range of actors and perspectives, and you will envision and determine the future of Ireland. A word of warning, the Anglo—Irish War (1919-1922) is about to begin, followed immediately by the Irish Civil War (1922-1923); this decade is known as the Irish revolutionary period. So do try and stay alive!