The Easter Rising: Ireland Rebels Against British Rule

What Happened?

On April 24, 1916, members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen Army, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, stormed British government buildings across Dublin and occupied the General Post Office (GPO), where they read aloud a proclamation of the Irish Republic.

Despite a bold beginning, the Rising lacked both resources and strategic positioning. British forces were caught off guard, but quickly responded, bringing in troops and artillery from across Ireland and Britain. Urban warfare broke out across the capital, with houses, streets, and landmarks becoming battlegrounds.

After six days of fighting and heavy bombardment, the rebels were surrounded and overwhelmed. The GPO was shelled into ruin. On April 29, the leaders surrendered unconditionally. Casualties included over 400 British and Irish soldiers and civilians. The violence left large parts of Dublin in rubble.

Public opinion initially condemned the uprising, especially among Dubliners with sons fighting in World War I. But the mass arrests and the execution of 16 leaders, including Pearse and Connolly, outraged the population and turned the tide of sympathy toward the rebel cause.

Though the rebellion failed militarily, it succeeded politically. Within five years, most of Ireland had won its independence. And the ideals shouted over crackling gunfire in 1916? They lived on—in every ballot box, hunger strike, and call for sovereignty that followed.

Why It Matters

The Easter Rising showed that even in defeat, resistance can plant seeds that bloom later. It reframed Irish nationalism as not just a cultural longing, but a political demand. Though Ireland’s independence would come through war and negotiation years later, the Easter Rising was its emotional and symbolic beginning—a defiant refusal to accept empire as destiny.