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Easter Rising
This is an important book which chellenges many of the widely-held assumptions about the Rising. Illuminating every aspect of the fateful Easter Week, it provides the first synthesis of this seminal event in twentieth-century Irish history to appear in over a generation. More comprehensive, and adhering more closely to events than any account previously written, this important new treatment of the 1916 Easter Rising draws on an impressive range of hitherto unused primary sources, some closed to the public until recently, while others, long available, have been neglected by historians. Following an evaluation of the roots of the Rising, the authors then present portraits of the leaders, and their motives, plans and objectives. They challenge the traditional interpretation that these leaders expected military failure, motivated by a desire to provide a 'blood sacrifice' and hoping thereby to rejuvenate Irish nationalist sentiment. Letters, diaries, and personal accounts of particpants and eyewitnesses complement the wealth of previously unpublished material drawn from the major archive centres in Ireland and Great Britain.
432 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 9, 2025
For the layman this ticked enough boxes and gives a good account of this important moment in Irish history early in the 20th century, but I'd imagine for those looking for something more substantial works on the subject to look elsewhere. If, like me, you wanted to learn of this history having known hardly anything about it, then it's worth a read.
November 16, 2021
Superbly researched and well written - but I was left nearly as clueless about the big picture of the Easter Rising as I was when I started. If you're already familiar with the events of the Rising and you want an in-depth examination of individual storylines, this is the book for you.
October 9, 2018
Brilliant!
April 15, 2016
Written by a school teacher at Methodist College Belfast and a former pupil of the college, this is an accessible history that will find traction with secondary school audiences. Scholarly, yes; but it does not bring nearly the same academic rigour as Townshend or even Caulfield.
On the positive side, it presents the key events of the Rising in handy chapters dealing with each of the rebel positions in turn. This offers a degree of clarity that the day-to-day narratives followed by other histories do not (Particularly for one who is unfamiliar with the geography of early 20th Century Dublin).
On the negative, in striving for balance and impartiality, the authors have lost much of the brutality and horror and avoided the growing debates that surround the Rising and its place in Irish history.
A readable introduction, but far from being the 'standard work' that its endorsements suggest.
On the positive side, it presents the key events of the Rising in handy chapters dealing with each of the rebel positions in turn. This offers a degree of clarity that the day-to-day narratives followed by other histories do not (Particularly for one who is unfamiliar with the geography of early 20th Century Dublin).
On the negative, in striving for balance and impartiality, the authors have lost much of the brutality and horror and avoided the growing debates that surround the Rising and its place in Irish history.
A readable introduction, but far from being the 'standard work' that its endorsements suggest.
February 14, 2015
Full of stats and detail of the military strategy which gets too cumbersome. The best pieces are when the feeling and response of the people are described. No matter what your opinion on the Rising is, they were incredibly brave.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews