The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca, in Irish Gaelic), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, from April 24th to April 29th 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798, and the first armed action of the Irish revolutionary period.

With much greater numbers and heavier weapons, the British Army suppressed the Rising. The rebels agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29 April. After the surrender the country remained under martial law. About 3,500 people were taken prisoner by the British, many of whom had played no part in the Rising, and 1,800 of them were sent to internment camps or prisons in Britain. Most of the leaders of the Rising were executed following courts-martial.

The Rising brought physical force republicanism back to the forefront of Irish politics, which for nearly 50 years had been dominated by constitutional nationalism. It, and the British reaction to it, led to increased popular support for Irish independence. In December 1918, republicans, represented by the reconstituted Sinn Féin party, won a landslide victory in the general election to the British Parliament. They did not take their seats, but instead convened the First Dáil and declared the independence of the Irish Republic, which led to the War of Independence.


2016 marks the 100th anniversary of that rising that planted the original seeds of the Irish independency. We remember the brave women and men who fought and suffered for a greater good!


Éirinn go brách!