‘The definitive account’ John Banville, Guardian ‘Marvellous ..:enthralling’ Roy Foster, The Times Literary Supplement CHARLES TOWNSHEND Easter 1916 The Irish Rebellion PENGUIN BOOKS PENGUIN BOOKS Penguin G . LIBRARIES NI 14, USA Penguin Group (( Tanada M4P 2Y3 C700892554 Oe ame RONDO 02/02/2012 Pty Ltd) P Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London wc2r ort, England Wwww.penguin.com st First published by Allen Lane 2005 * Publishedi n Penguin Books 2006 se 1 1 Copyright © Charles Townshend, 2005 Allrights reserved The moral right of the author has been asserted Lines from W. B.Y eats’ ‘Easter 1916’ reproduced by permission of A. P. Watt Ltd, on behalf of Michael B.Y eats Set in Linotype Sabon Typeset by Palimpsest Book Production Limited, Polmont, Stirlingshire Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser ISBN-13: 978—O—141—-01216-2 www.greenpenguin.co.uk Penguin Books is committed to a sustainable future for out business, our readers and our planet. The book in your hands is made from paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. a ‘Before the Last Battle’ God, we enter our last fight; Thou dost see our cause is right; Make us march now in Thy sight On to victory Let us not Thy wrath deserve In the sacred cause we serve; Let us not from danger swerve. Teach us how to die. Death for some is in reserve Before our flag can fly. All the agony of years, All the horrors, all the fears, Martyrs’ blood, survivors’ tears, Now we offer Thee © As an endless holocaust; For the freedom we have lost. God, restore it, tho’ the cost Greater still must be. Terence MacSwiney a Contents List of Illustrations Vill List of Abbreviations Maps Xil Preface Revolutionism bp The Militarization of Politics 28 England’s Difficulty 60 Ireland’s Opportunity 90 To the Brink stp) The Battle of Dublin I: to the Barricades ys The Battle of Dublin II: the Counterstroke The National Rising 214 Surrender 243 AfW©Owb Wu Nm Io Punishment 269 II Transformation 300 IZ The Politics of Militarization 324 Epilogue: The Rebellion in History 344 Notes 360 Biographical glossary 407 Bibliography 414 Index es 4 ‘ List of Illustrations Photographic acknowledgements are given in parentheses. xx. The proclamation of the Irish republic, printed at Liberty Hall on 23 April 1916 (National Museum of Ireland). xxi. The proclamation of martial law by the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wimborne, 25 April 1916 (National Army Museum). PLATES 1. ‘The North began’: the UVF struts its stuff, January 1914 (Hulton Getty). 2. Molly Childers and Mary Spring Rice aboard the ‘Asgard’ with the shipment of Mauser rifles, July 1914 (George Morrison). 3. Irish Volunteers carrying the rifles back from Howth, 25 July 1914 (National Museum of Ireland). 4. The crowd of mourners crossing O’Connell Bridge on 29 July 1914, following the funeral procession for those killed in the Bachelor’s Walk shooting (Getty). 5. The Irish Citizen Army parading in front of Liberty Hall in 1915 (George Morrison). 6 Sir Roger Casement with John Devoy in New York, 1914 (National Museum of Ireland) 7 Thomas J. Clarke, President of the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (National Museum of Ireland). 8. James Connolly, leader of the Irish Citizen Army, and ILLUSTRATIONS commander of all republican forces in Dublin in April 1916 (Hulton Getty). Patrick Pearse, the Iri$h Volunteer Director of Organisation, President of the Provisional Government and Commander-in- Chief of the Army of the Republic in April 1916 (National Museum of Ireland). Io. Sean MacDermott, the most tireless of all republican organisers (National Museum of Ireland). Il. The warrior aesthete: Grace Gifford’s sketch of her fiancé Joseph Plunkett in Volunteer uniform (Irish Military Archives). I2. Are you looking at me? Constance, Countess Markievicz, in characteristically combative pose (National Museum of Ireland). ce Mobilisation order for the 4th Battalion of the Irish Volunteers on Easter Sunday 1916 (National Museum of Ireland). 4. The ‘Starry Plough’, the Citizen Army flag raised over the Imperial Hotel during Easter week 1916 (National Museum of Ireland). nS Waiting for the counterattack: Irish republican forces inside the GPO, Easter week 1916 (Irish Military Archive). 16. ‘Soldiers are we’: two men of the GPO garrison show off their eclectic mix of clothing and equipment (Irish Military Archive). £7. Into captivity: Eamon de Valera marching at the head of the 3rd Battalion after the surrender (National Library of Ireland). 18. The war zone: a German image of the ruins by O’Connell bridge after the ‘Aufstand’ (insurrection) (AKG). 19. ‘Conky’ and the ‘Gorgeous Wrecks’: General Sir John Maxwell inspecting the Volunteer Training Corps shortly after the rebel- lion (RTE/Cashman). Resistance commodified: postcards of de Valera and other rebel 20. leaders sold widely after the rebellion. Incarceration: Irish internees in Stafford gaol, May 1916. 21. Michael Collins is under the cross (Irish Military Archive). 4 \ List of Abbreviations IN TEXT AND NOTES AOH Ancient Order of Hibernians BL British Library BMH Bureau of Military History records, IMA Bod Bodleian Library, Oxford CAB Cabinet records, PRO CCORI Central Committee for the Organization of Recruitment in Ireland Cd, Cmd Command Paper (British Parliamentary Papers) CI County Inspector, RIC CIGS Chief of the Imperial General Staff CO Colonial Office records, PRO DAG Deputy Advocate General DATI Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction DMP Dublin Metropolitan Police DORA Defence of the Realm Act(s) DRR Defence of the Realm Regulation GAA Gaelic Athletic Association GOC(-in-C) General Officer Commanding (in Chief) HC Deb. House of Commons Debates (Hansard) HLRO House of Lords Record Office, London HO Home Office records, PRO ICA Irish Citizen Army IMA Irish Military Archives, Dublin INA Irish National Archives INAA Irish National Aid Association