"Uncomfortable Questions About The 1916 Easter Rising" Topic

"Today is a day of celebration in Ireland. A hundred years ago today, Irish rebels rose up against British rule and declared an Irish Republic (Although technically they did this in Easter 1916, which fell at the end of April). This is a little unusual because in Ireland we don't really do patriotism like other countries, we don't even an Independence Day. It is also unusual because the rebellion failed and the proclaimed Irish Republic was crushed within a week. But Irish history isn't like other histories, it's not a collection of successes and victories. Instead our heroes are noble failures, almost always defeated, but in a brave and proud way.

The traditional view of 1916 is quite straight forward. The rebels bravely fought against overwhelming odds before being crushed. They knew they would fail, so like Christ, they died for the rest of us (it wasn't a coincidence that Easter was chosen as the date of rebellion). In doing so, they lit the torch of freedom and inspired others to fight and die for Ireland. Their sacrifice lead to another round of fighting known as the War of Independence and finally freedom in 1922. The rebels of 1916 were obviously heroes who liberated us from the evil British…"
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