Sparks in Time Episode 1: Easter Rising, April 1916

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The Event: Easter Rising, April 24, 1916

Perhaps no other event looms as large in 20th century Irish history than the ill-fated Easter Rising of April 1916. On Easter Monday, Irish nationalists declared independence from British rule, and with around 1,600 Irish rebels rose up against the British government in Dublin, taking over several significant buildings. A battle between rebels and about 400 British troops ran its course over several days. The rising itself did not gain widespread support and fizzled out, leaving in its wake destruction and death and ushering in a period of retaliation and ever-growing support for Irish nationalism.

In the immediate aftermath, organizers were imprisoned—many without trial—martial law was instituted, and senior leaders were executed by firing squad.  (Several significant figures, including Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins, were captured following the uprising and later released.) The brutality and extreme nature with which the British government dealt with the rebellion caused the rising to take on much more significance in the months and years that followed, with many leaders gaining a martyr-like status in the minds of Irish nationalists.

The Backdrop: the Great War and Home Rule

The Easter Rising takes on a greater significance when considered in the context of the larger geopolitical environment of the Great War and Irish Home Rule.

Irish nationalism had long been a growing force within Ireland, so much so that the desire for Irish to rule themselves was dubbed the “Irish Question”—an unsolvable problem for British politicians.

From 1912-1914, Irish politicians tried for a third time to pass a Home Rule bill, an attempt to allow Ireland a greater say in its own governance. The measure was popular in the southern (traditionally Irish Catholic) counties, but met with fierce resistance from the northern counties (populated with descendants of the Scottish planters), and within the British Parliament. Debated on the eve of the Great War, a compromise was met where Home Rule was passed, but would not be enacted until the conclusion of hostilities in Europe. This blow to Irish Republicans was only worsened when the prominent Irish politician, John Redmond, urged Irish citizens to enlist in the British Army in the war effort, in what many saw as a downpayment for a Home Rule few thought would ever be enacted.

From a British perspective, the Easter Rising was the ultimate insult to a government straining to meet the demands of a war on the continent. The war that was supposed to be “over by Christmas” had dragged on for twenty months with no end in sight. British losses had been astronomical and had caught the army and the government flat-footed. As losses mounted and the realities of wartime descended on the British citizens, the Irish rebellion diverted critical resources and attention. The ensuing extreme response to the rebellion and the decision to execute the leaders was an attempt to dissuade any further revolts, but the memory of the event instead became a rallying cry for the War of Irish Independence, which began in the years that followed.

On Writing

From a historical fiction perspective, the topic of the Easter Rising is challenging. Any event that is widely studied, documented, and discussed can be difficult to confront in a work of fiction because accuracy and nuance are both paramount. The Easter Rising takes on further complexity because, even to this day, it elicits strong emotions. In one sense, it is the symbol of British rule over Ireland—a rule that, over its history, denied fundamental rights and freedoms to Irish Catholics. From another perspective, it was a violent rebellion against a standing government. Either way, it was one event in a series of many that would lead to another eight decades of conflict, suffering, and tragedy.

Research

In some ways, my research into the “Irish question” and ultimately this specific event began almost twenty years ago, when I spent my spring break in Dublin at Trinity College researching the Troubles by requesting Stormont records. Even then, I was conscious that I was delving into a highly sensitive subject. Not only was I an outsider (an American), but I was asking to peek into some of the most difficult and raw history in recent Irish memory. I remember feeling this tension very acutely as I requested records from the stoic librarian.

After all, I had no stake in what I was researching—just a scholarly interest. I hadn’t experienced life during the Troubles. I had no first-hand understanding of what it felt like to be on either side of this conflict. And to make matters worse, I broke the first rule of the library—taking notes with a pen in the “no pens allowed” section. Beginners mistakes aside, that feeling of delving into the topic of the “Irish Question” in Ireland has never left me and I’ve always wanted to take extreme care to do it justice.

As I began research for my current historical fiction series, I wanted to weave my story carefully and give each topic its due, allowing the reader to struggle with the same topics I struggled with as a student. I read both fictions about the time and revisited many of the non-fictions written about the Easter Rising, including original writings from the time period.

My survey of materials spans from the mid-1800s and life under the famine,  to the Irish exodus to America, the evolution of agricultural laws, and the forming of nationalist groups among Irish youth. While most of these topics earn but a passing mention in each book, the themes carry throughout the series.

Work-in-Progress

The Shadows in Drab and Green series will address the Easter Rising head on from two opposing perspectives, but not without a lot of legwork. In reconstructing the lead-up to this event, I spend considerable time (and word count!) creating the setting where different characters can experience the environment that led up to the rising.

I spend the better part of the first two novels in the series showing the experience of the Irish Catholic in 1914 and 1915: the economic reality, the inequities, the vast difference in quality of life and hope for the future. In my writing, these experiences drive my Irish characters to rationalize their behaviors. But I ask more of my readers. I ask them to make conclusions and to grapple with problems after they’ve heard another viewpoint.

Toward this end, I also spend considerable word count describing the British Expeditionary Force and its experience with trench warfare in Belgium and France. The hardships, the suffering, and how differences in class, religion, nationality seem to disappear when men were fighting for their lives and needed each other to survive. This experience plays heavily into the British perspective of the Easter Rising and the reaction that followed.

Tips and Techniques

The Compromise Character

To help bring the conflict alive for readers, I use what I call the compromise character. These characters undergo unique experiences that force them to understand one problem from two perspectives and suffer through “a gray space”. Ultimately, this tool helps to guide a reader through the experience and make the history come alive in a different way. This technique can be particularly useful when a writer finds it important to convey two sides of one problem, particularly when the answer lies in a gray area.

Parallel Language

Another technique I employ throughout the series is using parallel language to expose ironies. For example, I write minor characters on each side of the conflict who embody certain stereotypes, and through their speaking patterns, bring out the the similarities of characters on each side of the conflict. In this way, I try to show the humanity on each side of the conflict and highlight the similarities in experiences over the differences.

A quick example: a poor, uneducated Irish nationalist refers to all British or British sympathizers simply as “whores”, whereas an elite and educated Ulsterman refers to all Irish as “tyrants”, as if each opponent were one-dimensional and fit cleanly into a prescribed role. Of course the reality is more complex, and the irony is that this tendency to stereotype transcends all elements of society, to no positive effect.

I found both of these techniques useful in presenting the environment that preceded the Easter Rising in a way that was both historically accurate, yet nuanced.

Recommended Reading

Over the years I have read a lot on this topic, but recommend a few books that really stick out in my mind, for their coverage of both the Easter Rising and the experience that resulted in the political climate in Dublin in 1916.

Non-fiction

• A City in Wartime: Dublin 1914-1918, by Padraig Yeates. There are few books out there that exclusively examine Dublin during the Great War, so I found this to be a tremendous resource to help me reconstruct what daily life might have looked like in the early war years.
• The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism, by Robert Kee. This is a comprehensive study of Irish Nationalism that takes readers from the 11th century (that’s right) through the singing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. It is well-referenced and a very holistic approach to describing the origins and evolution of the centuries-long conflict between England and Ireland.

Fiction

• The 13th Apostle, by Dermot McEvoy. This book, which is a biographical sketch of Michael Collins through the eyes of a fictional character, paints a very vivid picture of the Rising and its aftermath. Gripping and memorable, the author uses a variety of techniques to tell the story of Irish revolution.
• 1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion by Morgan Llywelyn. This book describes the rural Irish experience, juxtaposed to the experience in Dublin. A very well-researched novel, this book is a powerful blend of history and fictional characters.

Landmarks of Interest

• General Post Office– Perhaps the most famous landmark of the Easter Rising, the GPO is the largest building on O’Connell Street (in 1916, Sackville Street) and the site  where Patrick Pearse publicly proclaimed the Irish Republic on Easter Sunday, 1916. The Rising ensued the next day.  The GPO sustained shelling from British troops during the Rising and burned almost to the ground following the fighting. Today, remnants of the shelling are still visible on the outside of the building, though it was completely rebuilt in 1929. For information on how to visit, check out information from TripSavvy.
• Glasnevin Cemetery– Many of the executed rebel leaders lie in Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery (as well as many participants who died later, such as Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins). It remains one of the most visited sights in Dublin, not only for its connection to the Easter Rising, but because it is such a part of the city’s history. The museum website has information on scheduling tours and visits.

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