11) Rise of Sinn Fein n IPP demise

Question 1

Who is general maxwell and what did he introduce in Ireland director after the Rising?

Answer 1

He arrived in Ireland just in time to oversee the concluding stages of the rebellion and acted as a Military governor, suspending indefinitely the powers of the civil authorities

Question 2

What did the British dub the Rising as ?

Answer 2

A ‘Sinn Féin Rebellion’ obviously unaware of the organisational role played by the IRB

Question 3

How would the British dubbing the Rising lead to further support of this party? (6);

Answer 3

• When Maxwell ordered large scale arrests throughout the country, many of those detained were SF activists and sympathisers who had nothing to do with the Rising
• although 11500 of those were released inside a few weeks, nearly 2000 were shipped to the mainland where they were held in criminal prisons or in a special internment camp
• There, less ardent nationalists became radicalised by comrades who converted them to anti-Britishness
• Meanwhile the British conducted trials in private and executions
• the violent nature of these cases shook Ireland and British insensitivity provoked an outpouring of sympathy for the condemned men, as the leaders of the insurrection were transformed into Irish martyrs

Question 4

What did John Dillion and the IPP urge the government to do in May 1916

Answer 4

Speech contained a passionate appeal to the PM to halt the executions and denounce the secret courts martial

Question 5

Who was O’Dwyer and what impact could his statement have to Maxwell on the public ? (3)

Answer 5

The Bishop of Limerick

• He was a critic of Redmond’s wartime support of Britain and responded to the request from Maxwell to remove protests who had publicly sympathised with the insurrectionists, describing them as “poor young fellows”
• O’Dwyer informed Maxwell that “Personally I regard your action with horror and I believe it has outraged the conscience of the country”

Question 6

According to Rees, how did the Rising impact on Ireland? (3)

Answer 6

• the continuation of martial law with its consequent arrests, curfews and House-searches had needlessly embittered nationalist opinion
• There was a strong but latent Anti-British feeling in nationalist Ireland which was ready to surface given the right opportunity. This was revealed in the public’s response to the executions
• Redmond, whose wartime support for Britain was deeply sincere, couldn’t hope to represent this changing mood. The Rising had dealt the IPP a savage blow as it brought into focus nationalist irelands ambivalence, both in its attitude to the war effort and its support for the wholly constitutional IPP