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The Easter Rising
The Easter Rising of 1916 was the opening event for the Irish War of Independence. Occurring Easter Week in 1916, it was mainly centered in Dublin, although some surrounded communities were also involved.
The goal of the rising was to attain political freedom and establish an Irish Republic. With the outbreak of World War I, the British Government suspended the Home Rule Bill. Several Irish groups including the Citizen Army, the Irish Volunteers, and the Sinn Fein, decided that they needed to take a stand.
Under leadership of Padhraic Pearse, they began planning their uprising for Easter Sunday. They arranged for a series of parades to run throughout the city as a signal to the other rebels. Their plans were discovered and the parades were canceled. They decided to hold off until the next day.
Around noon on Easter Monday April 24th, about 2000 men lead by Pearse seized control of the Dublin post office (which became their headquarters) and many other strategic points in the city. They hoisted one tricolor flag on one side of the post office and a green flag with the inscription "Irish Republic" on the other. Pearse then read the Proclamation of the Republic. By the next morning, they controlled a considerable part of Dublin. British reinforcements began to arrive on Tuesday and Martial law was proclaimed. There were numerous street fights.
