Michael Collins And The Easter Rising

Disillusioned by the lack of progress of parliamentary politics in bringing about a native Irish government via the ‘Home Rule Bill’ the Irish Republican Brotherhood Military Council set about planning a revolution. After months of planning, bringing together a number of different sympathetic groups such as the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizens Army, Cuman na Mban and the Hibernian Rifles the insurrection was planned for Easter Sunday 1916. The Rising had been organised in secret without the knowledge of Eoin MacNeill, the head of the Irish Volunteers. When he learned of the IRB’s plans and of the interception of a large catchment of the rebels weapons, he issued an order cancelling all proposed manoeuvres. Nevertheless, the rebels went ahead with their plans the following day but with much reduced numbers.