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Irish Republican Brotherhood -

The Easter Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an independent Irish Republic. The organization responsible for staging the armed insurrection was the secret Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Irish writer, educator, and nationalist politician Patrick Pearse (1879–1916) joined the IRB in 1913. He would end up directing the Easter Rising.

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Thomas Clarke (1858–1916) -

Pearse was was soon co-opted onto the IRB's Supreme Council by Irish republican revolutionary Tom Clarke.

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Seán Mac Diarmada (1884–1916) -

Republican political activist Seán Mac Diarmada was another prominent member of the IRB.

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James Connolly (1868–1916) -

The IRB's ranks swelled with the recruitment of Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader
James Connolly, who vehemently opposed British rule in Ireland.

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Thomas MacDonagh (1878–1916) -

Irish political activist, poet, playwright, and educationalist Thomas MacDonagh joined the IRB in the summer of 1915.

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Éamonn Ceannt (1881–1916) -

A member of the Gaelic League, a social and cultural organization that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide, Éamonn Ceannt was sworn in to the IRB by Seán Mac Diarmada in 1912.

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Joseph Plunkett (1887–1916) -

Committed republican, poet, and journalist Joseph Plunkett became involved in the IRB in 1915. These seven men would go on to become members of the IRB's military council. On Monday, April 17, 1916, the council met and approved the draft of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Two days later, it reconvened to decide who would act as commanders in the planned uprising.

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Bulmer Hobson (1883–1969) -

On April 20, 1916, Bulmer Hobson, a leading but moderate member of the IRB and the Irish Volunteers, uncovered the plans for the Rising, which he opposed and attempted to prevent. Bulmer immediately informed Eoin MacNeill.

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Eoin MacNeill (1867–1945) -

Together with Hobson, Eoin MacNeill, who had established the Irish Volunteers in 1913, confronted Patrick Pearse. Both tried to dissuade him from launching the Rising. Pearse told them that they were powerless to stop the armed insurrection.

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Roger Casement (1864–1916) -

Diplomat and Irish nationalist Roger Casement was another prominent Easter Rising leader. During the First World War, he made efforts to gain German military aid for the insurrection. He was arrested on Friday, April 21, 1916 along with Irish Brigade members Robert Monteith and Daniel Bailey (calling himself Beverly) at Tralee Bay in County Kerry after the trio had disembarked the German U-boat U19. Monteith and Bailey escaped the hangman's noose. Casement, however, was later executed for treason.

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Irish Citizen Army -

The Irish Citizen Army (ICA) was a small paramilitary group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defense of workers' demonstrations from the city's police force. Pictured are ICA members outside Liberty Hall, Dublin, shortly before the Rising. Above the door is a banner reading "We serve neither King nor Kaiser, but Ireland!" The ICA would play an active role in the Easter Rising.

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Cumann na mBan -

The Irish republican women's paramilitary organization known as Cumann na mBan also supported the Easter Rising. Formed in Dublin on April 2, 1914, Cumann na mBan became an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers in 1916. The organization still operates today.

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Monday, April 24, 1916 -

At 10:55 am on April 24, 1916—Easter Monday—members of the Irish Volunteers and the ICA gathered outside key Dublin landmarks, including Liberty Hall, St Stephen's Green, and Jacob's Biscuit Factory. British Army troops are pictured  forming cordons to block their movement.

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Easter Rising -

An hour later, armed Volunteers had taken up positions overlooking Bishop Street and City Hall, and moved towards the Grand Canal, the Imperial Hotel, and several shops facing O’Connell Bridge.

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General Post Office seized by rebels -

At noon, the General Post Office (GPO)—pictured here before the Rising—was seized by rebels. A hugely symbolic building, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders.

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British response -

As Volunteers and the ICA captured other strategically important buildings, the British responded. Army regulars are seen here sniping from behind a barricade of empty beer casks near Dublin quays.

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Dublin burns -

Heavy street fighting broke out on the routes into the city center, where the rebels slowed the British advance and inflicted many casualties. Meanwhile, the British Army brought in thousands of reinforcements as well as artillery and a gunboat.

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Proclamation of the Irish Republic -

At 12:45 pm, Patrick Pearse appeared outside the GPO and proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic, the Poblacht Na H Eireann. The names of the seven-man military council are at the bottom.

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Destruction at the Four Courts -

The Four Courts, Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay, was substantially damaged during the first day's fighting.

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Tuesday and Wednesday -

Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, British troops began to take back control of key locations, including City Hall and buildings overlooking St Stephen's Green. Casualty numbers on both sides increased alarmingly. Meanwhile, the British continued to rush troops into the city from across Ireland, and martial law was declared.

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Thursday to Saturday -

Intense fighting continued into Thursday. Rebel positions were still inflicting heavy losses on British troops. But with much greater numbers and heavier weapons, the British Army was gradually suppressing the Rising.

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Surrender -

On Saturday, April 29, with the GPO in flames and the civilian death toll reaching unacceptable numbers, Patrick Pearse issued an order for all rebel companies to surrender. Pearse himself surrendered unconditionally to the commander of British forces in Dublin, Brigadier-General William Lowe. Pictured are rebel prisoners on Bachelors Walk being marched to barracks after the surrender.

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Aftermath -

The ruins of Dublin's General Post Office. One of Ireland's most famous buildings, inaugurated in 1818, was effectively gutted.

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Bomb damage -

The bombed buildings at the corner of Sackville Street and Eden Quay on the banks of the River Liffey. The buildings were shelled by the British admiralty gunboat Helga II.

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Dublin decimated -

In fact, large parts of central Dublin were decimated, much of the damage caused by British artillery fire. Several locations outside of Dublin also suffered damage, attacked across the country by mobilized Volunteers.

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Arrests, court martials, and executions -

With the Irish Volunteer and ICA leadership rounded up, a series of court martials began on May 2, 1916. Fifteen men were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol, including Pearse, MacDonagh, Clarke, Connolly, Mac Diarmada, Ceannt, and Plunkett. Roger Casement was hanged in London on August 3.

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Internment -

More than 3,000 people suspected of supporting the uprising, directly or indirectly, were arrested. While some were interned in Ireland (pictured), 1,800 were sent to England and imprisoned there without trial.

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Headline news -

The Easter Rising made headlines in Ireland, Great Britain, and around the world. This April 26, 1916 front page of the Daily Express features a headline that reads: "Crazy Rebellion in Ireland." In all, 447 people were killed during the insurrection, including 64 rebels, 16 policemen, and 116 British soldiers. Around 252 civilians also died, with 2,585 wounded.

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Arthur Griffith (1871–1922) -

The brutal suppression of the Easter Rising by the British, the rushed executions of its leaders, mass arrests, and lingering martial law fueled public resentment towards London and the movement for Irish independence. In the December 1918 election, republican party Sinn Féin, founded by Arthur Griffith (pictured), won a landslide victory in Ireland. However, its members refused to take their seats in the British parliament. Instead, in January 1919, they met in Dublin to convene a single chamber parliament and declare Ireland's independence.

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Guerrilla war -

The Irish Republican Army then launched a guerrilla war against the British government and its forces in Ireland. A cease-fire in 1921 led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on December 6. The following year, in December 1922, the Irish Free State was created. But there was a caveat. Accepting an Irish Free State meant swearing an oath of allegiance to the Crown.

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Michael Collins (1890–1922) -

Irish revolutionary, soldier, and politician Michael Collins rose through the ranks of the Irish Volunteers and Sinn Féin to become a leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence. Collins viewed the treaty as offering "the freedom to achieve freedom."

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Eamon De Valera (1882–1975) -

However, Éamon De Valera, the leader of Irish parliament known as Dáil Éireann, together with other republican leaders, found swearing an allegiance to the Crown hard to accept. De Valera, like Collins, had taken part in the 1916 Easter Rising and sought an entirely independent Ireland.

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The road to a republic -

A provisional government was formed under the chairmanship of Collins in early 1922. But in June of that year, the Irish Civil War broke out. On August 22, 1922, Michael Collins was shot and killed by anti-Treaty forces near Cork City. His funeral in Dublin (pictured) was attended by some 500,000 mourners. The island of Ireland was eventually declared a republic in 1949.

Sources: (RTÉ) (Irish Brigade) (History Ireland) (History) (UK Parliament) (Encyclopedia of World Biography)

See also: How America contributed to the reconstruction of Europe

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