Easter Rising Exercise

What was the impact of the Easter Rising of 1916?

The main focus of this lesson is on what archive film from the time can tell us about the impact of the Easter Rising on the political situation in Ireland in 1916 and the years which followed.

1. What you have to do: Study clip 1:

• Aftermath of the Rising (1:01-1:45) which shows the Irish Volunteers. The clip is silent, so your job is to write a short commentary to accompany this clip for an historical documentary. Your teacher may let you read it out as the clip plays.

2. Now Examine Clip 2

• Aftermath of the Rising (2:30 – 5:00) closely. Historians are divided about the impact of the Rising on Irish attitudes towards the 1916 rebels.

Some suggest that the damage and disruption of the Rising alienated support. Other historians suggest that the Rising created admiration for the radical Nationalists because of the way they fought against overwhelming odds and pinned down large numbers of British troops.

Take each viewpoint in turn and write a new commentary for clip 2 which puts forward each viewpoint. Remember you are writing for an historical documentary which is trying to get its ideas across to the general public.

3. Study the source below carefully

Extract from a letter by John Redmond to British Prime Minster Asquith on November 30th 1916. The prisoners were not released as quickly as Redmond asked for.

My dear Mr. Asquith,
The question of the prompt release of the Irish untried prisoners is, in our view, essential to the maintenance of the present satisfactory reaction in Irish public opinion. The condition of Ireland, though still far from satisfactory, has vastly improved within the last two months, and that improvement has been due, amongst other causes, to the release of over a thousand of the interned prisoners and the confident expectation, which has been spread by us, that the Government plans to remove martial law and military rule, and release of the remainder of the interned prisoners.
The effect of not releasing these men will be most damaging to the position and influence of the National Party in Ireland. It will be said by the radicals who do not believe peaceful, constitutional and parliamentary action that this is fresh proof that the British Government do not take seriously the MPs elected to the British Parliament supposedly to represent the Irish people.

Many historians think that the British reaction to the Rising actually helped to increase support for Sinn Fein and the radical Nationalists (republicans) while pushing the more moderate Nationalists under John Redmond into decline. Explain how this source supports the view that British actions helped the republicans.

4. Now Study Clip 3

• Aftermath of the Rising (7:05 – 8:40 and 12:03 – 13:35) Does this clip support the view that some aspects of military rule might have disrupted the lives of Irish people and possibly helped the radical Nationalists as a result?

5. Now Study Clips 4 and 5

Belfast Unionist Demonstration and show this again. Films at this time were made to:

• Irish Demonstrate against Military Service
• Ulster Day Some historians point out that radical action worked well for Unionists up to 1914 and that Nationalists began to feel they should take radical action as well. Doe these clips support this view?

6. Finally

Summarise what you have learnt about the impact of the Rising in a mind map or similar diagram.