the Easter Rising

Busting the Historical Myths: The Easter Rising Part 2- The Aftermath….

Patrick Concannon on April 18, 2020, 7:00 am | Readers 3747

In my previous article I was probably a little mischievous in my conclusion as I attempted to convey that the British Intelligence Community was well aware of the plans for a Rising on Easter Sunday and that there had been on their part a wish to combat and defeat the Irish Volunteer movement once and for all. There is now to this day a general feeling that the Rising and its aftermath changed Ireland utterly. There is a feeling that …

With hindsight should unionism have been represented in Dublin yesterday?

Brian Walker on March 28, 2016, 10:08 am | Readers 2152

It’s a fair question. Representatives of unionism would have been warmly welcomed to the reviewing stand in O’Connell St on their own terms which would have underlined the end of the old ambivalence towards the use of violence in the North. But perhaps this was not the moment. By common consent, reconciliation has not been impeded. It was nationalism’s day, no matter how you line up the variable geometry. Our German allies do not attend Armistice Day (although Mrs Merkel …

The “what ifs? ” of our past play a part in dealing with it today

Brian Walker on September 29, 2014, 10:09 am | Readers 471

The row over former taioseach John Bruton’s regret that the Easter Rising ever happened goes on. Will historian Diarmaid Ferriter have the very last word? In his latest sally in the Irish Times, Ferriter attacks the exaggerated use of the counterfactual, the “what if” school of history. His argument to Bruton is basically simple –look, the Rising had the obvious effect of radicalising nationalist Ireland. It happened, get over it, stop regretting it. In an important sense Ferriter the historian …