History Matters: The Easter Rising 1916 to 2016

History Matters is a brand new show which interrogates current perspectives on the past. Our first episode is an Easter special. WORLDbytes volunteers are joined by Kevin Rooney and James Heartfield, co-authors of Who's Afraid of the Easter Rising? 1916-2016, to discuss attitudes to the Centenary and the importance of the revolution itself.
The lack of enthusiasm for the Easter Rising amongst today's governing elites are we learn, attempts to dilute the meaning of Easter 1916 to suit the politics of 2016. The rebels' fight struck the first blow against the barbarism of the First World War and deserves to be celebrated fully. Do watch, share & join in the debate.
Help us caption & translate this video!
amara.org/v/IG8K/

[@grarout1]

You say "interrogate the perspectives" and yet not once are either of the authors of the book challenged about their views. It was a very interesting programme, but woefully one-sided and needed someone putting the other side.

[@StonefieldJim4]

Excellent. That a democratic mandate was rooted in the anti-imperialism of WW1 mutinies and the socialist international, no less than the struggle against the occupation of Ireland, is a crucial point routinely ignored.

[@danmacartain9973]

+James Williams There was no democratic mandate for the Rising. Of course, there was absolutely no democratic mandate for the British presence in Ireland, nor for British rule of Ireland, either.

[@StonefieldJim4]

It may take a little more than your mere assertion to win me over. 😊

[@danmacartain9973]

James Williams I have to point out that the burden of proof, given your delusional claim, rests with you. The Easter Rising was planned and set in motion by a secret society, called the Irish Republican Brotherhood(IRB). They infiltrated the Irish Volunteers, and basically took over the rump of that organisation, unknown to its commander Eoin Mac Neill, when it split over John Redmond's call to fight for the British Empire. Padraig Pearse, who was the leading intellectual force behind the Rising, organised what were called 'major manoeuvres' for Easter weekend, 1916. Pearse, along with the three other IRB members on the Irish Volunteer Council, intended these manoeuvres to be a cover for the armed overthrow of British Imperial rule in Ireland. MacNeill found out what was going on, and issued orders cancelling the manoeuvres. The result was that the Rising was doomed from the start, militarily. Let me be quite clear; the IRB had NO democratic mandate for the Easter Rising. They made no effort to seek one, at any time.

[@61505]

they don,t want even their past British government to "look bad" ......

[@irishlongswordboland3114]

Dan MacArtain ya.I mean they could hardly call a referendum.Also the election before 1918 the irish electorate was just 700 000 when universal male suffrage and suffrage to women over 30 that electorate jumped to 2million.So where were they going to get a democratic mandate from

[@servitrad]

But the REAL anniversary would be the 24th April ! The Easter Rising began on 24th April 1916.

[@ainemairead4542]

I feel lime this video is trying to. Do a whitewash and history rewrite ..

[@servitrad]

You feel LIME ? What do you mean by that ?

[@61505]

British people are educated about Irish history accurately in their schools

[@laurencekeogh4779]

Is that Denise Michelle Crosby to the left?

[@eantbra]

I doubt very much that their book was a best seller

[@Trytocookthis]

0:56 #bye

[@truthmediarebel5816]

The British Government had agreed on home rule (32 counties) parliament in 1914. The Rebellion was to hit the UK and help the Germans at a vulnerable time. One Rebel came back to Ireland in a German submarine with a ship load of weapons following, which was captured by the British. Obviously you are not getting all the facts in this conversation. Two sides to every argument.

[@davegalbandian2652]

Pearse openly revelled in the blood sacrifice ongoing on the western front. And the Proclamation he read out to start the Rising referred to "our gallant allies in Europe" meaning Germany and its allies. The Rising was in no way an anti-war movement. Poorly thought-out views. Wannabe right-on thinking "down on imperialism and war". Undergrad level. The 1916 Rising and leaders deserve both credit and censure. They were naive, reckless about loss of civilian lives and arguably launched decades of violence on the islands and led us to partition. They also sparked the War of Independence leading to the Irish Republic. But leading to a very myopic Gaelic, Catholic, exclusionary Ireland cut off ideologically and an impossible place for the North to join. All back to that week.

[@nbenefiel]

Dave Galbandian the ulstermen had already made Ireland an impossible place for Catholics.

[@dunner079]

@@davegalbandian2652 Thank God someone's said it. Exactly!

[@dunner079]

@@davegalbandian2652 And don't forget to mention the concentration camps for women and children and all the bodies dug up since. We still speak English too 🤣

[@dunner079]

Easter Rising was a complete waste of time.

[@johnboylan3591]

The spark that lite the flame

[@dunner079]

@@johnboylan3591 To what?

[@wonjubhoy]

@@dunner079 Independence.

[@dunner079]

@@wonjubhoy Ye mate keep dreaming lol