On The Trail of Irish Revolution In Dublin
As a political junkie, I have always been fascinated by the Irish distinct national identity. Since Ireland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, I had a hard time imagining the country was once the most rebellious corner of Europe just a hundred years ago. Ireland has the unique distinction of being the only member of the European Union that was once a full-fledged colony. Ireland’s political history is the story of heartbreak and resiliency. Since there was never a unified “Kingdom of Ireland,” Irish nationalism and the path toward freedom are filled with plenty of asterisks and complexity.
Dublin Castle was the symbolic seat of British authority in Ireland.
Cork may be called a “rebel city,” but the most momentous events occurred in Dublin. Historically, the Irish capital is the most “English” part of Ireland, even more so than Ulster. That may seem odd today, but it was not that surprising. As the capital, Dublin is home to Ireland’s political elites and merchant class, which benefitted the most from Britain’s imperial system. Many of Dublin’s most celebrated landmarks, such as Dublin Castle, were symbols of Britain’s colonial rule. Celebrated Irish institutions, like Trinity College, were exclusively reserved for English protestants.
A significant inflection point was the Act of Union, when the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland officially integrated as a single political entity. The Irish parliament was dissolved, and all the Irish MPs moved to Westminster in London. The last shred of Irish sovereignty was lost, inadvertently leading to political resentment. The political union also led to a significant slowdown in the Irish economy. In Dublin, mansions of Irish aristocracy were turned into tenement buildings as their owners relocated to London.
One of the most pivotal Irish figures at this time was Daniel O’Connell. Born to a wealthy family in County Kerry, O’Connell was a successful lawyer and an MP from County Clair. He quickly emerged as the leader of Catholic Emancipation. At that time, the “penal laws” prohibited Catholics from various legal rights in Ireland. Even though nine out of ten citizens in Ireland were Catholic, they were barred from holding public offices or marrying Protestants, and many other fundamental rights. One of the most controversial provisions in the penal laws was the Oath of Supremacy, which recognized the British monarch as the supreme governor in all temporal and spiritual matters. This oath did not help ease the religious tension, to say the least.
Internationally, O’Donnell was best known for his antislavery stance and befriending American abolitionist Frederick Douglas. But in Ireland, he is known as the “Liberator.” O'Connell founded the Catholic Organization, one of Europe's most potent mass political movements. Blessed with his great eloquence, he organized large political rallies demanding social changes and political reform. British Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, an Anglo-Irish Protestant, aided the passage of Catholic Emancipation to head off a potential civil war. Unlike the Irish revolutionaries who came after him, O’Connell believed that the political process, not violent uprisings, was the most effective way to change Ireland.
In 1882, Dubliners constructed a massive commemorative monument to honor his political contribution to Ireland. Two years later, the city proposed to name the city’s main boulevard in his honor. The stately O’Connell Street is a grand edifice of British Dublin and once the city's commercial core. The street has some of Dublin’s grandest civic and commercial buildings. Unfortunately, this postcard-perfect street has been “invaded” by fast-food joints and dollar stores. Despite the city’s best efforts to spruce it up over the decades, O’Connell Street is a shell of its former self. The contrast between relatively low-brow characters and the grandiose architecture is jarring.
What the street lacks in glamour today is more than made up by the plethora of historical monuments. Besides the O’Connell Monument, the most prominent landmark used to be the enormous memorial column dedicated to the legendary British admiral Horatio Nelson. Due to a unique legal arrangement, Nelson’s Pillar remained standing after Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom. This unabashed British monument was blown up in 1966 by the IRA allegedly. It was not until 2003 that the city finally replaced it with the ultra-modern Spire of Dublin.
At the north end of the boulevard is a memorial to Charles Stewart Parnell, a noted Irish nationalist. He was the leader of the Home Rule League, which advocated for greater autonomy for Ireland without declaring official independence. It was not too dissimilar to the devolution of modern Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Following the Catholic Emancipation, there was an active debate about to what extent the “home rule” was an acceptable solution for Ireland. To Parnell and his political party, home rules may not be perfect, but they are necessary for progression toward ultimate independence.
The monument to Charles Stewart Parnell.
The monument to Charles Stewart Parnell.
Known as the “uncrowned king of Ireland,” Parnell is most known for his shrewd and disciplined politics. His Irish Parliamentary Party secured the coveted position as the kingmaker of the hung parliament of 1885. Parnell convinced Prime Minister Gladstone to introduce the Government of Ireland Bill in the following years. Gladstone urged the passage as an act of honor and warned the parliament that home rules may be inevitable due to the sentiment in Ireland. Predictably, the bill was fiercely opposed by the protestant unionists in Ulster. The bill was eventually defeated in the House of Commons.
Ironically, Parnell’s political fortune came to an abrupt end when it was revealed that he had a longstanding adulterous affair with Katharine O'Shea, the wife of a fellow member of parliament. In a deeply conservative Catholic Ireland, the scandal was so explosive and led to Parnell’s political exile. By the moral standards of today, the scandal was certainly overblown. Thankfully, his contribution to Ireland could not be disputed. Nearly a quarter of a million people attended his funeral when hen he passed away at the age of forty-six. The anniversary of his passing, October 6th, is known as “Ivy Day” in Ireland to honor his life.
The most important landmark on O’Donnell Street was the General Post Office (commonly known as the GPO). This grand neoclassical building gained notoriety as the rebel headquarters of the 1916 Easter Uprising. Unlike most other countries, Ireland has multiple “independence days. " This uprising was perhaps the most consequential event of the Irish drive for independence. In 1912, the British Parliament finally passed the Home Rules Bill, but its implementation was put on hold with the outbreak of World War One. While many Irish nationalists volunteered to enlist in the British Army, others thought Ireland should take advantage of the opening when Britain faced external threats. The Irish volunteers arranged to receive arms shipments from Germany, the enemy of Britain.
General Post Office.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the uprising was organized by the intellectual elites of Ireland, who had little or no military background. The rebel forces planned to take over seats of British administration, such as Dublin Castle and Four Courts and established control over central Dublin. The operation did not have a good start due to confusion over the start date of the uprising. However, the British were caught off-guard; many soldiers were off duty at the racetracks outside the city for Easter weekend. After the rebels seized the GPO, one of the rebel leaders, Patrick Pearse, stood outside the front portico and read aloud the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The proclamation asserts the rightful existence of the Irish Republic and stresses the equality of all Irish citizens regardless of gender. The proclamations were widely distributed in Dublin and other Irish cities.
Although the Irish revolutionaries took over several landmarks, such as the General Post Office, the British could mobilize quickly to lay siege to the rebels. Due to tactical inexperience and inadequate equipment, the insurgents made several fatal strategic mistakes, including digging a trench at Saint Stephen's Green and failing to cut off vital transportation links into Dublin. Vastly outnumbered and without effective military command, the rebels had little chance of success. The British began to retake rebel positions one by one. The British Navy sailed up River Liffey and bombarded the GPO. Much of the neighborhood along O’Connell Street was flattened.
After days of siege, the rebels inside the GPO ran out of supplies and equipment. Leaders made a daring escape through a side exit at the north of the building. Rebel leaders Patrick Pearse and James James Connolly escaped along Moore Street and set up a new headquarters to a humble apartment building at 17 Moore Street. The
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“Written after I was shot. Darling Nancy, I was shot leading a rush up Moore Street and took refuge in a doorway. While I was there I heard the men pointing out where I was and made a bolt for the laneway I am in now. I got more [than] one bullet, I think. Tons and tons of love, dearie, to you and the boys and to Nell and Anna. It was a good fight, anyhow. Please deliver this to Nannie O'Rahilly, 40 Herbert Park, Dublin. Goodbye, Darling.”
Kilmainham Gaol
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