10.5) Causes Of The Rising Essay

Question 1

World War One: (7)

Answer 1

• WW1 had an unprecedented impact on Irish politics. In August 1914 Redmond pledged Ireland’s support for Britain however on 20th September 1914 after Home Rule had been passed, Redmond went further than his initial offer to defend Ireland. At Woodenbridge he made a speech appealing to Volunteers to serve in the war ‘wherever the firing line extends’. This split the Irish Volunteers and out of 170,000 all but 10,000 remained loyal to Redmond. Those left loyal to MacNeill were now convinced Redmond’s support for the war effort had diluted his nationalism, and it was left to them to pursue Irish freedom
• Nationalists were also furious by the British Army’s double standards as the UVF enlisted and became the 36th Ulster Division in the army while Nationalists were dispersed between several regiments
• Irish involvement in the war weakened the IPP as they became associated with the unpopular war and thus Sinn Fein and the IRB became increasingly popular as the alternative
• Foster ‘If Irish History has turning points Redmond’s misjudgement at Woodenbridge may reasonable be seen as one’
• The introduction of conscription in January 1916 was also important in increasing support for IRB, as the public’s fear of conscription increased anti-British feeling, particularly since Irish nationalist recruitment declined during 1915, and with it Nationalist support for the IPP. An unnamed IPP member stated that the hatred of the war encouraged Nationalists support the IRB
• Since WW1 postponed HR, there was more of a motive for nationalists to force Britain’s hand while Britain’s head was turned towards the German threat and facing the greatest difficulty of her history. Simultaneously, however, this delay discontented Nationalists; Jenkins describing HR as being put into “cold storage”. This left a weakened IPP in political limbo, with no policies to attract and retain nationalist support.
• This postponement and new opportunity increased revolutionary feelings amongst the nationalists, with ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’, being used as a reason to stage an insurrection at the meeting of the IRB Supreme Council in August 1914. If they had a rising during the war, then the IRB would be able to get more munitions from their “gallant allies in Europe” (Germany) which could make a significant difference to the outcome. This is seen with the attempted shipping of German weapons to the IRB in Kerry on Good Friday via the SS Aud

Question 2

Carsonism (5)

Answer 2

• Throughout the Ulster crisis, Carson had forced Redmond into a subordinate role and the tactics which he had used further polarised Irish politics. By undermining Redmond and the IPP, Carson had given a boost to radical nationalists, who returned to the old fenian tradition of using force to achieve freedom for Ireland seen in the likes of the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion.
• Carson’s establishment of the UVF in January 1913, leading to the violent UVF strategies from 1912-14 (culminating in the Larne gun-running incident in April 1914 and the UVF’s successful intimidation to achieve Ulster exclusion) had set a clear precedent in Irish politics that democratic processes in which to oppose Home Rule were increasingly futile compared to more clandestine and illicit tactics, which were successfully pursued. Tom Clarke states that the UVF set a “splendid example” for the IRB
• as a result, many within and without the constitutional nationalist movement began to consider armed insurrection. E.g Eoin MacNeill’s article ‘the North Began’ praised the extra-parliamentary tactics utilised by the Ulster Protestants and emphatically encouraged the same attitudes and strategies to be used in the south. This consequently led to similarly violent incidents being organised in Ireland, such as the July 1914 Howth gun-running
• Patrick Pearse’s public desire for Irishmen to revert back to former Nationalist militancy is clear, having also concluded that he found, “The Orangeman with a rifle a much less ridiculous figure than a Nationalist without one.”
• Overall, Carson’s actions had radicalised once peaceful nationalists and inspired them to take up arms against Britain. Ruth Dudley Edwards says that Connolly especially was motivated by Carsonism

Question 3

New nationalism (5)

Answer 3

• New nationalism in some ways caused the Rising by providing inspiration for the IRB to consider Ireland as a separate nation in need of independence; an ‘Irish Ireland’, and reinforced the ideal of cultural nationalism and political freedom coming hand in hand.
• The Gaelic League, which began with the Gaelic revival in 1893, was a cultural organisation focused on rediscovering the Irish language and culture and instilling newfound patriotism within Irish people in order to, for example, reject ‘British’ sports such as cricket. By 1906 the League had a peak of 985 branches and some 75,000 members.
• MacNeill and Hyde, who founded the organisation, wanted the ‘de-Anglicisation’ of Ireland and this had a strong appeal
• New Nationalism Therefore contributed to the desire for an independent Ireland, going so far as to result in the Gaelic League Constitution being altered by Clarke and MacDermott to include a political aim of a “free Gaelic speaking Ireland”
• Rees, Lyon and Garvin all argue that the New Nationalism movement, especially the Gaelic League, produced key leaders in the 1916 Rising, where the majority of the 16 executed leaders at the Rising were produced by the Gaelic League

Question 4

IRB leadership (10)

Answer 4

• IRB determination could be considered the most influential factor in the lead up to the Easter Rising
• The Gaelic League, Ireland’s cultural organisation, soon became politicised with the IRB’s infiltration into its ranks, who promoted Irish separatism on top of the patriotic foundation. As a result, the separatist movement was boosted.
• In addition to a strong sense of Irish cultural identity, the dominant influence upon the rebel’s was a religious mysticism combined with a fervent belief in heroic martyrdom. Patrick Pearse went so far as to advocate for “Blood sacrifice” and romanticising dying in the name of fighting for the freedom of Ireland.
• He was also deeply religious, and the timing of the Rising further suggests that Pearse wanted to symbolically ‘renew’ Irish Nationalism at the time of Christ’s resurrection and ‘renewal’ of mankind.
• The timing of the Rising was so influenced by the date of Easter Sunday that the IRB kidnapped James Connolly over three days in January 1916 in order to convince him to forestall triggering the rebellion himself via the Citizen Army until Easter. Hobson (an IVF leader) spoke of the role played by his religion and his belief in a blood sacrifice when discussing Pearse. They would give their lives for independence and reawaken Nationalist determination for independence in the process
• This belief in a blood sacrifice meant that they would carry out the Rising, despite knowing that it would fail. The IRB had evidence that the Rising would succeed. The Aud weapons (1916) had been lost, Roger Casement had been arrested and the Castle Document forgery meant that MacNeill had cancelled IVF mobilisation orders. But the IRB’s determination continued. Connolly said, “We are going to be slaughtered”. This suggests that the IRB leaders were more concerned with this ‘sacrifice’ inspiring other nationalists in the fight for independence than the actual success of the Rising. Jackson supports this by saying, “the rebel’s were more anxious that a Rising should take place than it is successful.”
• Connolly himself was driven by socialist values and concern for the working classes, which was reflected in the recruitment of many ICA members, and it was the ideological determination of these individuals which increasingly drove them onwards in their fatalistic plans for rebellion, with Connolly stating that, ‘the cause of Labour is the cause of Ireland, the cause of Ireland is the cause of Labour. They cannot he dissevered’
• the IRB were constantly waiting for the opportunity to carry out a Rising, and finally the decision to stage an insurrection at the meeting of the IRB Supreme Council in August 1914. The IRB leadership organised themselves around the war, Clarke and McDermott believing that, ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’ and that war might create the right circumstances for an armed rebellion against Britain
• the IRB seemed set on bringing militant tactics into the nationalist struggle for independence. Most of the IRB members were part of the broadly-based body, IVF, and since then the IRB had been quietly trying to take over the Irish Volunteers and planned to use force in its rebellion.
• McGarry said that the emergence in 1912 of IRB members such as Pearse and Plunket was “significant”, thus highlighting that the determination of these figures was what really caused the Rising before the war even broke out. While new nationalism provided cultural inspiration for many people who later became militant nationalists, a credible force was needed to stage a rebellion, and the IRB were that force.