Irish citizens took upon themselves the responsibility of overthrowing the British Government in Ireland during the “Easter Rising of 1916”, which was the result of centuries of rights violations against the Irish by the British. Oppression of the Irish began in A.D. 1367 with the Statute of Kilkenny, which restricted the traditions of the Irish and placed them under the authority of the English in Ireland. (Hardiman) Oppression of the Irish was expanded in the late 1600s and early 1700s with a series of penal laws. These laws were directed at “Papists” or Irish Catholics, and restricted everything from education to the right to own weapons. (umn.edu)
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was formed in the mid 1800s to press the British out of Ireland. Their actions included an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the London Bridge on December 13, 1884. At the start of World War I, the IRB decided to attempt an uprising in Dublin. Originally the uprising was planned as a distraction to allow German support to land in Ireland. The Germans sent arms to the Irish in early 1916, but the British intercepted the boat, ending German involvement. (1916rising.com) The failed German support delayed the Rising from Easter Sunday to the following monday.
The Easter Rising began on the morning of April 24, 1916. The rebellion opened with rebels seizing several buildings including the Dublin General Post Office which was used as headquarters for the rebels. An official report made by General John Maxwell of the British army describes the guerrilla warfare used by the insurgents; “mixing with peaceful citizens made it almost impossible for the troops to distinguish between friend and foe until fire was opened. In many cases troops ha...
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...brary of Ireland. I used this for background of the events during and after the Easter Rising.
Pašeta, Senia. Before the revolution: nationalism, social change, and Ireland's Catholic elite, 1879-1922. Cork, Ireland: Cork University Press, 1999. Print.
This book gives examples of discrimination against the Irish and events leading to the revolution in the 1920s including the Easter Rising. I used this document to find examples of Irish discrimination.
McCarthy, Mark. Ireland's 1916 rising: explorations of history-making, commemoration & heritage in modern times. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate, 2012. Print.
This book is a record of celebrations of the original Easter Rising, but it also has a description of the rising and many quotes from the members of the IRB. I used this document as background and to find quotes from the members of the IRB that demonstrate
The Irish Famine 1845-1849 “Is ar scáth a chiéle a maireann na daoine” “It is with each other’s protection that the people live” From the Fifteenth through to the Nineteenth centuries English Monarchies and Governments had consistently enacted laws which it seems were designed to oppress the Irish and suppress and destroy Irish Trade and manufacturing. In the Penal laws of 1695 which aimed to destroy Catholicism, Catholics were forbidden from practicing their religion, receiving education, entering a profession, or purchasing or leasing land; since Catholics formed eighty percent of the Irish population, this effectively deprived the Irish of any part in civil life in their own country. In the eighteenth century the Irish condition had improved: The Irish merchant marine had been revived and ports improved, and the glass, linen, and clothing industries developed. Agriculture had also been improved and in 1782 the Irish Constitution was formed.
Meagher, Timothy. “The Columbia Guide to Irish American History.” Columbia University Press- New York, 2005
The Act of Union in 1800 was a significant factor to the nature of Irish nationalism in 1800. Prior to the Act, the society of the united Irishmen, a republican society who wanted parliamentary reform and Catholic Emancipation, fought, under the leadership of Robert Emmet, with physical force for their complete independence. Because of their military strand they differed from their predecessors the ‘Protestant Patriots’, this is because the society was heavily influenced by revolutionary events in France and New America in the late 18th century. The rebellion, although unsuccessful, with its leader imprisoned, had major consequential effects; which was the passing of the Act of Union in 1800. The Act set the tone for the rest of Irish history; once emancipation failed to materialize directly after the union, the Catholic issue began to dominate both Irish and English politics.
Bone, Martyn. "Ireland Historical Summary 18th-19th Centuries ." Our Family History. Martyn Bone , 11 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 May 2010. .
When the plague began, many Christians believed that it was a penalty of their sins from God; others lost faith in the church or blamed it on followers of other religions. Many who thought that god was punishing them became flagellants. These people would go to the main square or church and whip themselves and cry, “God spare us,” asking for forgiveness from their sins (Gottfried 263). During the plague, many people looked for aid through religion. The Christians would pray, but get no response from God. Many began to question the truth behind their beliefs. The people would turn their backs on the church and lose confidence in their faith. A common view of the people who survived the plague was that they were “cynical about religion,” (Watts 3). The people became more egotistical and less pious because they had less need for support from ...
During the 1920’s there were many controversial issues. There was a concern about declining moral and ethical values, which led to restrictions such as prohibition for example. The concern about these issues seemed most intense when they pertained to religion. In situations like these it always seems necessary to place the blame somewhere. One particular group on which this blame was emphasized happened to be the immigrants. Irish Catholic immigrants were a main focus of discrimination in many ways.
English persecution of the Irish people is one cause of the tensions in Northern Ireland. Before 1793 Irish Catholics were persecuted by British law. Catholics were not allowed to buy and sell land, get proper education, marry Protestants or vote. This fueled problems in Ireland. After 1793 Britain was afraid, after loosing America, that a revolution would happen in Ireland. So the restrictions on the Irish Catholics were done away with. This however angered the protestants who formed the Orange Order, who was against the Catholics. This all came to a head when in 1798 when a small rebellion broke out.
The Volunteers and The United Irishmen campaigned to achieve Irish equality for two decades. At that point they had achieved many success and were in the process of achieving total equality, ‘Catholic Emancipation’. The bill was put forward and passed through both houses of Parliament. Just as it was to be signed into law, King George III intervened.
The British occupation of Ireland began in the 1640’s and lasted until 1922. No other occurrence throughout Irish history has had a greater impact on the lives of the citizens of the country. Along with the act of occupation came the emergence of Protestantism, which conflicted with the traditional religion of Ireland, Catholicism. The English occupation of Ireland affected many aspects of Irish history from the potato famine to the War for Independence. However, Irish nationalism came to a boiling point April of 1916, in what is now known as the Easter Uprising. The uprising lasted 6 days and resulted in massive casualties, but furthered the liberation cause for the Irish.
INTRODUCTION The history of Ireland "that most distressful nation" is full of drama and tragedy, but one of the most interesting stories is about what happened to the Irish during the mid-nineteenth century and how millions of Irish came to live in America (Purcell 31). Although the high point of the story was the years of the devastating potato famine from 1845 to 1848, historians have pointed out that immigrating from Ireland was becoming more popular before the famine and continued until the turn of the twentieth century. In the one hundred years between the first recording of immigrants in
The years 1870 to 1890 in Ireland saw the fervent battle of Charles Stewart Parnell and his Home Rule party for home rule in Ireland. This consisted of Ireland having its own parliament to deal with internal affairs while still remaining under the control of Westminster in international affairs. It was not the desire for a full separation from Britain that would come later. However, by 1890, problems in Parnell’s personal life lead to a breakdown in communication with the Prime Minister and to a split in the Home Rule party. According to M E Collins, this left a void in Irish politics and life that was filled with a new cultural awareness and a questioning of Irish identity: ‘the new movements were different. They stressed the importance of Irish identity, Irish race and Irish culture’ (170 M E Collins, Ireland 1868 - 1966). It is at this point that Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’ becomes relevant to Irish history. In his chapter entitled ‘On National Consciousness’, Fanon stresses the colonised native fears of being assimilated totally into the culture of the coloniser, of being ‘swamped’ (169 Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth). These were the exact concerns that occupied the minds of the Irish people after the failure of home rule. They began to be anxious about what Collins terms ‘the distinguishing marks of Irishness’: ‘a culture and language that was different to Britain’s’.
The Irish Republican Army was a well-known terrorist organization originating in Dublin, Ireland. The IRA (Irish republican Army) used irregular military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, and petty warfare against the United Kingdom. The IRA raged Guerilla warfare against the British, creating the Irish War of Independence. Even though the Irish Republic Army is no longer active, in their time they wreaked havoc any many different people. In this essay, the description of the group, historical and past events of the group and recent activities will be discussed.
The Web. 14 Jan 2011. Allison, Fiona. " The Irish War of Independence 1919-1921." suite101.com.
Religion in James Joyce's Dubliners Religion was an integral part of Ireland during the modernist period, tightly woven into the social fabric of its citizens. The Catholic Church was a longstanding tradition of Ireland. In the modernist spirit of breaking away from forces that inhibited growth, the church stood as one of the principal barriers. This is because the Catholic faith acted as the governing force of its people, as portrayed in James Joyce’s Dubliners. In a period when Ireland was trying to legitimize their political system, religious affiliations further disillusioned the political process. The governing body of a people needs to provide a behavioral framework, through its constitution, and a legal process to make delegations on issues of equity and fairness. When religion dominates the government that is in tact, it subjects its citizens to their religious doctrines. In terms of Catholicism in Ireland, this meant that social progress and cultural revolutions were in terms of what the church would allow. The modernist realized that this is what paralyzed the Irish society of the times. In the stories of Dubliners the legal system is replaced by the institute of religion, and it is the presence and social context of the Catholic Church which prevents the Irish community from advancement. ...
McCann et al. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994, 95-109).