The Myth of Martyrs

So this is my thesis proposal, in its very rough stages. So rough, in fact, that is more segments, than it is one flowing document. I feel uninspired and stuck with it, though, so I thought I would throw it up here and see what sort of feedback or help I can get. I haven't included my sources, since it is rough. However, I do feel the need to assert that this is my work, my words. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

The 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin is often regarded as the cataclysmic event that sparked the twentieth century struggle for an Irish free state. The public eye looks back on this show of rebellion warmly, linking it closely to the Irish Republic's freedom. It is remembered romantically as a heroic and gallant stand for Ireland's deserved freedom. After al, this is how the Rising's leaders wanted the revolt to be remembered. Patrick Pearse released many statements and updates from the General Post Office relating how successful and welcomed the rebels were for their show of force during the Rising. However, this was merely propaganda and strayed far from the truth.

In fact, the majority of opinion in Dublin, reacting to the Rising, ranged from outright hostility to civil ambivalence. Many were outraged at the idea that these ragtag rebels could even think of rebellion when the Empire was waist-deep in the trenches of the Great War – especially when so many of Ireland's boys were in those trenches, dying for the British Empire. With the rising mired in this glum environment, there was scant support for the rebels actions. Few were rushing to pick up the arms laid down by the rebels as the British army marched them to gaol.

The public opinion began to shift, however, in the days following the Rising when the British clumsily tried to clean up the mess. By 5 May, shawled women who would spit and curse at the rebels were replaced with girls who would cheer and rejoice as these men walked down the streets. This change in attitude was created in reaction to the over-zealous actions of the British army. Sympathy for the rebels was generated when the entirety of Ireland was placed under martial law, despite the fact that the Rising only occurred in Dublin. Across the country 3,500 people were arrested in a mass sweep, two-thirds of whom were deported to England. More than this zealous police action, it was the subsequent swift executions of the 12 perceived leaders of the Rising at Kilmainham Gaol that threw Irish support behind the Easter Rising.

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While Ireland was mired in conflict and guerilla wars, the Irish people were often reminded why it was that the IRA and Sinn Fein were fighting for the country's independence through speeches from military and political leaders.  Michael Collins would frequently refer to the Easter Rising. However, he never pointed to this revolt as a seismic event in Ireland's path to freedom. To Collins, the Easter Rising was the culmination of a long string of events, leading down from Young Ireland, through the IRB, and beyond. It was a gauntlet that was thrown down by Pearse, Connolly, and the others, at the feet of the British. A gauntlet that was forged out of Fenian ideals. In fact, Collins asserted that the ideals of the Rising were largely forgotten in the years following the event, as evidenced by the 1918 elections. In his speeches, Michael Collins often played down the role of the Rising as an individual event, and did not focus on the individuals behind the Rising. This is perhaps due to his conflict with Eamon DeValera, especially during the civil war.

DeValera, on the other hand used the Easter Rising, and his role in it, as well as in its aftermath, to his advantage. As one of the few leaders to escape the firing squad, DeValera cultivated his entire political image on his role in the Rising. This was shown with great success in the 1918 elections when he managed to win his riding against incredible odds. DeValera continued to use his sharp mind and equally sharp tongue to keep him ahead of the political game. When it came to Ireland's independence, he would often harken back to the Rising and its influence on Ireland's path to freedom.

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Propaganda is an important factor in war strategy, and as such, has a tendency to skew the facts in historical record. Through primary sources such as speeches made by Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins, as well as newspaper articles and stories from both London and Dublin dealing with the Irish War of Independence, and the subsequent Irish Civil War, combined with news stories, speeches, and accounts of the Easter Rising, I hope to get a strong grasp on the importance of the Rising's martyrs and their influence on Ireland's independence. With dedicated research, I wish to discover whether the martyrs were crucial in influencing Ireland's path toward freedom, or if they merely contributed a complimentary role alongside the likes of Young Ireland, the IRB, and the Fenians.

And I rewrote the actual proposal bit. It still ends abruptly and poorly, but is slightly better written.


//Propaganda is an important factor in war strategy, and as such, has a tendency to skew the facts in historical record. The Easter Rising is an important part of Ireland's history, and as such has been studied from many different angles and perspectives. Even with such popularity, however, most works dealing with the event's importance take it as part as a growing movement. I wish to look at the Rising as a single entity, an individual event, and it's effect on the subsequent conflicts for independence. Through primary sources of the Rising, such as the letters and proclamations of the 12 martyrs, as well as secondary sources such as The Rising, I hope to get a firm grasp of the contemporary impact of the Rising and its Martyrs. I would then combine this information with primary sources from the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War, such as speeches from Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins, as well as parliamentary documents from both Dublin and Westminster. These political documents would then be combined with newspaper articles from both Dublin and London which would reflect that popular opinion. Secondary sources would again be used to give context and historiography to help get a full picture of where the propaganda ends and the real influence begins. With dedicated research, I wish to discover whether the martyrs were crucial in influencing Ireland's path toward freedom, or if they merely contributed a complimentary role alongside the likes of Young Ireland, the IRB, and the Fenians.//