The Easter Rising

Opening with an evaluation of the roots of the Rising, the authors present pen portraits of the leaders and a thorough analysis of 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. A detailed chronological account of the Rising itself recaptures the action in the key locations, giving insights into the actual experience of Easter Week for the rebels, the military personnel who opposed them, and the civilian population. The authors conclude their narrative by reviewing the British government's reaction to the Rising, analyzing the background to the declaration of martial law, and assessing the British military response. The book contains transcripts of the court martial trials of the executed rebel leaders, including the cases for the prosecution and defence, plus the testimonies of the witnesses. It graphically describes the execution process and - drawing on Sir John Maxwell's private papers - the justification given for imposing the death sentence in each case.
Letter, diaries and recollections of participants and eyewitnesses, complement the wealth of archive information used.