e Car Rental Dublin - The 1916 Rising

During World War I on April 24th 1916 a number of republicans read out a proclamation claiming this land to be Irish. The thinking behind having the rising at this time is two fold: Great Britian was at war and it was hoped that they had taken the finger off the pulse in Ireland, and it was Easter Week and most of the armed forces based in Dublin were at the Fairyhouse races. When the proclamation was read out the rebels were booed by passers by who were quiet happy with the way Ireland was progressing under British rule.

The main instigators were Patrick Pearse and Tome Clark. They were armed with weapons smuggled into the country from Germany in 1914.

It was planned that the uprising was going to be nationwide but due to the fact that they suspected a number of members had been compromised they decided to focus on Dublin. The numbers that took part in the rising was 1760. They seized a number of strategic points around Dublin including the General Post Office, The Shelbourne Hotel, Boland's Mill and The Four Courts..

The rebellion lasted for nearly a week before British soldiers managed to quell the uprising. Much of Sackville Street (present day O'Connell Street was destroyed by bombing.) Many of the rebels were moved to Kilmainham Jail and executed. It was as a result of these executions that the rising became so important in Irish history. The general public was dismayed that these men were executed and they became martyrs and heros. The subsequent events and executions after the rising spelt the beginning of the end for British Rule in Ireland.

Among the captured rebels was Eamon DeValera, an American citizen whose life was spared by the British who didn't want to execute an American citizen. He was later to become the Irish President and an important figure in Irish politics. Much of his popularity was derived from the fact that he had taken part in the rebellion of 1916.