Proclamation of Irish Republic April 24th.

1916 This is a judicial statement written by a group of Irish rebels declaring the establishment of a provisional government in Ireland independent of the British colonial authority. It was written and read by Patrick Pearce, one of the seven signatories, on Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916 outside the General Post Office in Dublin. The declaration is directed specifically to the people of Ireland but is surely also intended for the British government and the international media. It is signed by Patrick Pearce, Thomas Clarke, Sean McDiarmada, Thomas McDonagh, Eamonn Ceant, James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett. The statement has only six paragraphs and less than 600 words. Its title is Proclamation of the Irish Republic, April 24th.,1916. It is addressed specifically to `Irish men and Irish women. It ends with a statement indicating that it is signed `on behalf of the Provisional Government, and has seven signatures. The six paragraphs outline the intent of the rebel forces to assert by force of arms the right of the Irish nation to independence by continued armed struggle and the establishment of a Provisional Government until such times as a permanent National Government may be elected democratically. It invokes the protection of God and the support of all Irish people at home and abroad. The appeal to popular support is paramount from paragraph one. Following the heading, `IRISH MEN AND IRISH WOMEN, one sentence alone points to the `dead generations of Irish nationhood, and specifically, summons her children to the cause of fighting for independence. Paragraph two continues the theme of struggle by referring to historical armed struggles in Ireland for freedom and by citing groups such as the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Irish Volunteers, and Irish Citizen Army. It goes on to say that the time is now right to reveal the strength of force by striking for independence yet again and significantly, refers to the emigrated Irish population( referred to as exiled ) in the USA and allies in Europe. This is to emphasise to the British authorities as well as the Irish nation that the struggle had international aspects. Interestingly, the proclamation never mentions the British colonial power by name but refers merely to `foreign people and government in paragraph three. In this paragraph the proclamation insists that no foreign control, however long it may have continued, can override the right of the people of Ireland to self determination. We see clearly stated the declaration of the `Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State and a pledge to fight for that Republic. As such, it is this paragraph which contains the most politically significant elements of the Proclamation.

Paragraph four returns to the theme of appealing to the people for support by actually claiming that the announced Republic is `entitled to and claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The paragraph then goes on to guarantee equality of liberty,rights and opportunities to all of the new Republics citizens and contains a promise to avoid what it says were divisions fostered by `an alien government. The fifth paragraph indicates that an armed struggle is expected under the control of the Provisional Government which the proclamation says will be replaced after the struggle by a democratically elected `National Government. The signatories would have wanted to assure the populace that although they were taking control by force of arms they did not intend to be dictators after the conflict. The final paragraph is again aimed directly at the Irish people and returns to the call for `valour and discipline, and a readiness for sacrifice for `the common good. It invokes the protection of God and asks that the nation `prove itself worthy of the call to arms and independence. The relevance of the Proclamation of Irish Independence in April 1916 cannot be underestimated by the fact that the rising apparently failed. The British government initially decided to treat the issue as one of treason in time of war due to the ongoing WW1 and all seven signatories of the document were therefore executed. This was the biggest miscalculation of the colonial power because it turned what might have been just another rebel rising ( the proclamation itself makes reference to 300 years of struggle) into a martyrs cause. The attitude of the Irish people to armed insurrection had been in many cases luke warm and often indifferent until the executions. The persistent appeal to the Irish Men and Irish Women throughout the proclamation is an indication of the fact that the rebels could not automatically expect the support of the populace. The executions were eventually seen as what today would be called a public relations disaster by the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith who called for them to be halted. By that time however all the signatories were dead and indeed James Connolly had been executed sitting down because of injuries sustained in the uprising he was unfit to stand up for his execution. The Proclamation is also important in that it correctly heralds the future form of government in Ireland to be a Republic.It makes a committment to universal suffrage which was not common in most nations at the time( including Britain) and it also promises a level of equal rights which was not typical of the time period. Today it is a revered document of national importance in Ireland and copies are on display in the rebuilt General Post Office from where it was first read, as well as Trinity College Dublin.