Leading historians reveal the American story behind Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising with new books and exhibitions that explore America’s role in the Rising. “No people ever believed more deeply in the cause of Irish freedom than the people of the United States.” —President John F. Kennedy, Leinster House Dublin, June 1963 On April 24, 1916, carrying a new tricolor flag, a small … [Read more...] about 1916 – 2016: Proclaiming the American Story
Easter Rising
1916 – 2016: The Centenary
Welcome to the 1916 Centenary issue of Irish America. This special issue of Irish America is dedicated to the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Its aim is two-fold: to highlight and investigate the key individuals and movements, both American and Irish, who had a hand in the planning, execution, and aftermath of the Rising, and to showcase underrepresented aspects of the … [Read more...] about 1916 – 2016: The Centenary
A Strike Against The Empire
Notre Dame’s Keough-Naughton Institute has produced a documentary on the Easter Rising that promises to stir a global debate on the historic event that led to Ireland’s independence. Historian Thomas Bartlett remembers how Ireland commemorated the Easter Rising’s 50th anniversary, in a full-throated, pro-rebel fashion in 1966: “Not so much commemorated, as celebrated,” he … [Read more...] about A Strike Against The Empire
Profiles in Courage: The Executed Leaders
The 16 men who were executed in the aftermath of the Easter Rising included the seven leaders who sealed their fate by signing the Proclamation (Forógra na Poblachta). It was read by Pádraig Pearse outside Dublin’s General Post Office, on April 24, 1916. The names of the seven as they appear on the Proclamation are: Thomas J. Clarke (who was invited to be the first signatory … [Read more...] about Profiles in Courage: The Executed Leaders
Printing the Proclamation
The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic has been called the most important document in Irish history, establishing the idea of equal rights across gender, fair labor practices, and conferring the right of self-governance from the provisional government to the people. It was based in part on a similar proclamation of independence issued by Robert Emmet during the 1803 … [Read more...] about Printing the Proclamation