The Easter Uprising/Rebellion, 1916 Quiz

Answer: Larne, during the night

The guns were smuggled into Larne, County Antrim on the night of 24th April 1914. These weapons were brought over from Hamburg, and the delivery consisted of 35,000 guns and five million rounds of ammunition. This process was known as "gun running".

Answer: Show the Unionists' support for Britain by fighting for them

Sir Edward Carson was the Unionist leader. The Unionists wanted to stay united with Britain in particular, so to prove their loyalty Carson persuaded the authorities to absorb the Ulster Volunteers (a Unionist group) into the British Army as a distinct unit - the 36th (Ulster) Division. Carson hoped that by showing their loyalty, Ulster would be entitled to special treatment after the war.

Answer: Thomas MacDonagh

In 1915, the I.R.B formed a Military Council. It originally consisted of Thomas Clarke, Sean MacDermott, Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett, and Eamonn Ceannt. This Military Council was later joined by Thomas MacDonagh. These six people, plus James Connolly, would later sign the Proclamation of The Irish Republic.

Answer: Sackville Street

When the insurgents began the uprising, they established their headquarters at the GPO, which was situated on a street then called Sackville Street. The street has been renamed O'Connell Street, but back in 1916 it was known as Sackville Street.

Answer: Bolands Mill

Eamon de Valera and his insurgents are believed to have inflicted heavy casualties on British troops as the troops marched into Dublin on the 26th of April, 1916. All the other names are real buildings, but they were occupied by other insurgents, with the exception of Dublin Castle, which was never captured by the insurgents.

Answer: Patrick Pearse

On Saturday, the 29th of April 1916, Patrick Pearse ordered his fellow insurgents to lay down their arms, effectively ending the uprising. By this stage, many buildings in Dublin had gone up in flames due fire from the British gunboat, Helga, and British troops had surrounded rebel positions. Pearse felt that there was no point killing even more people, so he ordered the surrender.

Answer: The majority of the people who signed the Proclamation of the Irish Republic were killed within a day of the outbreak of fighting

The Easter uprising was an uphill battle. To start off with, MacNeill ordered the troops not to parade, whereas Pearse tried to override the order. The insurgents also chose unsuitable headquarters, the General Post Office (GPO), that was vulnerable to attack from all directions.

They failed to capture more important places such as Dublin Castle. The weaponry of the insurgents was inadequate too, in the face of British artillery and their gunboat, Helga. Also against the insurgents was the fact that the uprising was confined mainly to Dublin, and the fact that most Irish citizens did not support the uprising.

Answer: All seven

Yes, all seven were executed by firing squad. The seven people who signed the Proclamation of The Irish Republic were Patrick Pearse, Sean MacDermott, Thomas Clarke, Eamonn Ceantt, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Plunkett and James Connolly, and they were all executed within twelve days, with James Connolly the last to be shot. De Valera was let off, but he didn't sign the Proclamation of The Irish Republic.

Answer: Carried him to the firing squad wounded on a stretcher, then propped him up in a chair so they could shoot him

James Connolly's execution was indeed arguably the most controversial thing that the British did. James Connolly, the leader of the ICA (Irish Citizen Army), was wounded during the uprising, and had to be evacuated from the GPO (General Post Office) on a stretcher.

After the surrender, he was sentenced to death by firing squad, but on the appointed day he still could not stand. To overcome this, the British carried him out to the firing squad on a stretcher, and then propped him up in a chair, to allow the firing squad to shoot him.

Answer: The British treatment of the insurgents

After the uprising and the execution of the leaders, Britain took many Irish prisoners, including some people who hadn't even taken part in the rising. This action in particular caused the Irish to dislike the British, resulting in a change in the way that the insurgents were viewed. Instead of foolish rebels, they were instead seen as martyrs.