The Easter Rebellion of 1916 sent shockwaves through Australia as our Anzacs joined a lopsided fight

WHEN the Irish rebelled against the British on Easter Monday in 1916 there were Australians helping restore British rule. But not every Aussie was against the rebels.

War and Conflict, Politics, Dublin, Ireland, The Easter Uprising, pic: April 1916, British troops at a makeshift barricade, at a key point in the city, The Irish rebellion began on Easter Monday 24th April 1916 when the Irish rebels attempted to gain control of public buildings in Dublin, but they were doomed to failure (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

WHEN the Irish rebelled against British rule a century ago tomorrow the British government sent in troops to quell the uprising. When many Irishmen in the ranks of the British army refused to fire on their countrymen the British called on troops from outside Ireland to restore order, among them were a few Australians and New Zealanders.

Those Anzacs, some with Irish ancestry, were hardened veterans of Gallipoli, fighting a force of civilians with no battle experience. The Anzacs were just a tiny part of the numerically superior, well-trained and battle-ready British forces. It was a lopsided fight that resulted in the defeat of the rebels but did not kill off their cause.

The rebellion had its roots in England’s domination of Irish affairs since the 12th century. In 1800-01 the Acts of Union passed by an Irish parliament dominated by pro-British protestants had seen Ireland incorporated into the UK and its parliament abolished. Over the ensuing century Irish nationalists struggled to regain self rule, while pro-British factions agitated to remain part of the UK. In 1914 when British parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act it looked like the nationalists had triumphed, but the outbreak of WWI resulted in plans for an Irish parliament being postponed.

Barricade in Dublin's Great Brunswick Street during the Easter Rebellion of 1916.

The Irish nationalists were outraged but some saw Britain’s preoccupation with war on the continent as a chance to stage a rebellion against British rule. Seeking German help, nationalists from the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen Army, the latter formed from trade unionists during a general strike in 1913, began planning an insurrection under the banner of the organisation known as the Irish Volunteers. German weapons were smuggled in, although the seizure of a major shipment by the British Navy alerted the British to the looming insurrection and was one factor that prevented the uprising from being launched beyond Dublin.

Irish patriot Sir Roger Casement, was convicted of treason and hanged in England in August 1916.

Originally scheduled for April 21, the seizure and arrest of Roger Casement, the man who arranged the weapons shipment, resulted in the rebel forces commander Eoin MacNeill giving the order to cancel the operation. But two of MacNeill’s compatriots, Padraig Pearse and Tom Clarke, decided to go ahead anyway and on April 24, Easter Monday the Irish Volunteer army gathered at various rendezvous points in the city and set out to seize strategic points including the General Post Office, which controlled telephone and telegraph lines into and out of Dublin. One of the rebel leaders, Padraig Pearse, read out a declaration of an Irish Republic.

Despite their planning, and despite sympathetic Irish soldiers in the British forces who refused to fire on fellow Irishmen and women, the volunteers were not able to hold out against the British. A handful of Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and other dominion troops on leave in Dublin came to the aid of the empire.

Irish rebels on the roof of Liberty Hall, Dublin, just after the Easter Rising of 1916.

The British brought in their artillery to shell the rebels and within a few days the rebellion had been quashed, with the death of 66 rebels and 16 summarily executed, while 143 British troops were killed, along with 260 civilians.

Australia’s reactions were mixed. It was condemned by most at the time as a low blow at a time of war or at the very least ill-considered. The actions of men such as Casement, dealing with the Germans, were considered treasonous and caused acute embarrassment to Casement’s Australian relatives.

But in the aftermath of the rebellion many Australians with Irish ancestry believed the British response in executing rebels to be too heavy handed. Archbishop Daniel Mannix is said to have wept at the news (he knew several rebels personally).

Damage caused in Dublin by the Easter Rising disturbances, which broke out on April 24, 1916.

Many Irish Australians became deeply suspicious of the British, which would have a major impact on the outcome of the referendums on conscription in 1916 and 1917 and on Australian politics over the course of the 20th century by causing rifts in Australian society. Irish Catholics were viewed as potential traitors, while many Catholics suspected the blind devotion of Australians to King and Empire.

In Ireland the rebellion had not won widespread support but the British repression after the battle turned the executed rebels into martyrs, rallying more people to the cause of independence.

In 1918 the political arm of the nationalists, Sinn Fein, had a major victory winning a majority of the Irish seats in the British parliament.

They refused to sit in parliament and declared independence. It would lead to civil war, resulting in the formation of an Independent Irish state with Northern Ireland remaining a British dominion.

Originally published as The Easter Rebellion of 1916 sent shockwaves through Australia as our Anzacs joined a lopsided fight