BOOK OF THE DAY: The Rising: Easter 1916By Fearghal McGarry Oxford University Press, 365pp, £18.99
THIS IS the story of the Easter Rising, “from the perspective of ordinary men and women”: the 1,700 men and women, active in the Rising and the War of Independence, who gave written statements to the Bureau of Military History in the 1940s and 1950s. This release of this material, “the most comprehensive oral history archives devoted to any modern revolution” has given new life to the study of 1916 and the War of Independence. These recollections enable us to reassess the motivation and mindset of the men and women who participated in the Rising, and to move this discussion beyond the rhetoric of Pearse’s blood sacrifice to a more prosaic and ultimately more convincing plane.
McGarry’s account of “the Rising generation”, the men and women who joined the Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army and Cumann na mBan, reinforces many elements that have long been highlighted by historians: activists often came from families with a Fenian tradition; many were involved in the GAA or Gaelic League and/or educated by the Christian Brothers; and some grew up in communities with a tradition of agrarian radicalism – as in east Galway. While most Volunteers came from modest family backgrounds, a significant number of Cumann na mBan were well-educated and financially independent; others were from “committed republican” families. Peer pressure and camaraderie were more important motives for joining the Volunteers than an understanding of, or commitment to, a republican ideology. When the Rising happened, many rebels were surprised by the declaration of a republic.
What did they expect from the Rising? The motivation appears to have been ill-defined. McGarry suggests that some participants believed there was a need for a blood sacrifice, “not the mystical embrace of martyrdom” expounded by Patrick Pearse, but a belief that action was preferable to inaction; a rising would retain the credibility of the Fenian movement – which was in decline in the early 20th century.
But many committed separatists did not support the Rising. The poor turnout at Easter 1916 has generally been blamed on Eoin MacNeill's countermanding order, but less than one-third of Cork city volunteers had turned out beforethey received the countermanding order. Many Volunteers were unwilling to fight; others questioned the purpose of an insurrection which they believed had no prospect of success.
As for the actual Rising, the story is one of considerable ineptitude and confusion. The secrecy associated with the planning contributed to that confusion. The Cork leaders received eight conflicting despatches in the five days before the Rising and it was unclear who was in charge. Few participants actually engaged in direct combat during Easter week and most casualties at the GPO occurred when they retreated from the burning building. There were also significant tensions between the Dublin leadership and the provinces, especially Cork.
A majority of the 450 who died in the Rising were civilians. McGarry dismisses claims that the rebels deliberately targeted civilians, as “unconvincing”. He suggests that the majority of civilian casualties were probably caused by the British. Witness statements indicate that the rebel leaders were horrified by the damage to the city, and that the wish to avert further civilian casualties – which is mentioned in Pearse’s surrender statement – was real.
There are many small telling details in this book: armed Volunteers in full uniform going to communion on Easter Sunday; the distribution of medals and scapulars taken as an indication that they were going into battle; references to singing A Soldier’s Song. One 1916 veteran told me that the veterans always sang the national anthem in English.
This is a very readable, yet historically important book that will appeal to general readers and to experts. It is also beautifully produced and competitively priced.
Mary E Daly is principal of UCD college of arts and Celtic studies and co-editor (with Margaret O’Callaghan) of 1916 in 1966: Commemorating the Easter Rising (Royal Irish Academy, 2009)