The History
 

The Leaders


James Connolly

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish emigrants, James Connolly took a job as a printer's devil at the tender age of eleven... Read on

Padraic Pearse

Often described as an idealistic dreamer, Padraic swore an oath with his younger brother, Willie, to free Ireland or die in the attempt... Read on

Willie Pearse

Willie was the younger brother of Padraic Pearse, the Provisional President of the Irish Republic... Read on

Sean MacDiarmada

Sean MacDiarmada was born in Leitrim and in his youth worked as a gardener and tram conductor... Read on

Joseph Plunkett

A keen scholar and the son of a papal count, Joseph Plunkett had the benefit of close ties with the literary world, and has left us with some inciteful poetry... Read on

Edward Daly

The Volunteers First Battalion was commanded by Edward Daly and they were based around the Four Courts area of Dublin during 1916... Read on.

Eamonn Ceannt

Eamonn Ceannt was an uileann piper, a member of the IRB Military Council and a signatory of the Proclamation... Read on

Sean Heuston

One of the train stations in Dublin is named after this young Commandant who was given the task of taking the Mendicity Institution, a poorhouse on the Liffey quays... Read on

Thomas Clarke

Tom emigrated to America to find work at an early age, taking a position as an explosives operative during construction work on Staten Island... Read on

Thomas MacDonagh

His interest in the Irish language led him to join the Gaelic League and while staying on the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway he first encountered Padraic Pearse... read on

The Executions

There were 16 executions as a result of the Easter Rising... Read on
   

The City During the Insurrection


The GPO

The General Post Office as it stands today. The GPO was used as the head-quarters for the 1916 Rising... Read on

Liberty Hall

At the corner of Eden Quay stood Liberty Hall, a two-storey building belonging to the Irish Transport and General Workers Union... Read on

The Destruction

The destruction of the city centre was caused by the bombardment of rebel positions by the British... Read on

Dublin Burning

The British army pounded this area of Sackville Street (O'Connell Street) using artillery shells and incendiary devices... Read on

The Statue of Justice

The Statue of Justice, Mark well her station... Read on

Statue of James Connolly

James Connolly stands proudly upon his plinth on Beresford Place, opposite Liberty Hall... Read on
   

The Combatants


The Irish Citizen Army

The Irish Citizen Army were a body of volunteers, equipped and drilled in defiance of the British administaration and consisting of Socialist workers... Read on

The British

At the beginning of the Easter Rising there were 128 officers and 2,265 men stationed in Dublin... Read on

Organisations

The IRB to Na Fianna... Read on
   

References


Timeline

There are many different reasons why some organisations felt the need for an armed insurrection in 1916... Read on

The Civil War

1916 Rebellion caused such horror amongst the ordinary people that even those removed from politics became sympathetic to the Rebel cause... Read on

The Irish Flag

The Irish Tricolour is essentially a flag of union. Its origin is to be sought in the history of the early nineteenth century... Read on

The Proclamation

IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom... Read on

Eyewitness Account

Extract from The Insurrection In Dublin by James Stephens... Read on

Poetry of 1916

Hardly a discussion on 1916 would be complete without someone quoting with sincere wisdom that all was changed, changed utterly... Read on