James Connolly, Socialism, and the 1916 Irish Revolution

In the third grade, I remember looking at maps and asking questions. Have you ever looked at a globe
or a world map and observed Europe? It's strange to find how the nations western Europe are large and well known whereas eastern Europe is full of countries barely known. It's also curious as to why Great Britain is called the United Kingdom. Who are they united to? As I grew older, I discovered that the top of Ireland is connected to England and that southern Ireland is actually its own independent nation. Such a geographical rift is evidence of some strange historical events. Why is Ireland divided? What happened?

The history of Ireland is long and fanciful. The Celts called their new land "Eire" and settled the island. History unfolded (as it often does) and saw ancient kingdoms like Ulaid, Connacht, and Laighin. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe went through many political and cultural evolutions which sent St. Patrick to Ireland as well as the Vikings. Several hundred years later, the Normans invaded England and eventually found a purchase on the shores of the emerald isle, subjugating the Celts.

This was not the first time a foreign power sought Ireland's subjugation, and it wasn't the last. Eventually, Gaelic (another name for Ireland's native population) culture overpowered the Norman strain, but by 1542, King Henry VIII of England had reestablished English dominance. The next few centuries proved to be a time of famine and tyranny as three natural disasters destroyed the population, and Britain, more than ever before, became Ireland's personal oppressor.
Hundreds of thousands died due to "the Great Frost" which was caused by a sudden drop in the earth's temperature and some called a "minor ice age." Subsequently, crops failed everywhere and famine arose. This disaster is not to be confused with the potato blight which drove many Irishmen out of the country in the 1800s. All three natural disasters were devastating, true, but were intensified by the legislation of England.

The United Kingdom was formed in 1801, being a conglomerate of Britain, Ireland, and Scotland among a few smaller nations. A few years later, the Irish parliament was abolished, destroying self-rule in that nation. By the time the Potato blight occurred, the local Celtic population was ground into poverty by a host of biased and unjust laws. England had set up Ireland as a colony. They appointed lords to rule the land stolen from the Celts. The new English lords remained in England but still demanded rent and obedience from the original owners of the land. Most of the population lived on the most basic food available which were potatoes. Therefore,
England, who created the poverty, caused the famine.

Many rebellions sprung up throughout this period; The United Irishmen rebellion, Robert Emmet's rebellion of 1803, The Fenian Rising, and numerous rebellions of Irishmen in England, Canada, and Australia. All these insurrections were caused by radical Irish patriots and republicans. By 1916, a new revolution was brewing.

This new revolution, however, had socialist undertones. Socialism and Communism had been growing in popularity all over the world. The USA had been adopting socialist policies for over a decade, and Europe was being prepared for the socialist-driven risings of Hitler and Mussolini. Russia would have it's revolution in 1917, one year after Ireland's. The twentieth century was Socialism's golden age.

Ireland had it's violent communists too, James Connolly being my personal favorite. I speak poorly of Socialism and it's totalitarian method of governing, but that does not mean that the Socialist movement was without good, moral, and dedicated personalities. Connolly seems to me to have been an honest patriot who was interested in socialism as a way to dissolve the economic bands that chained Ireland to England. However, if he had his way, there is no doubt but that he would have turned all of Ireland into a communist paradise.

James Connolly, while being one of the most charismatic leaders of the revolution was in a small socialist minority among the uprising. While it is true that many of the partisan soldiers were among the laborers of Dublin, The revolution was more fueled by dreams of an independent republic than an egalitarian socialist state.

The 1916 revolution was sprung on Easter Sunday of that year and lasted only a week. James Connolly and other leaders of the revolution were executed. It seemed that Ireland would never have it's independence. The next four years later  proved that the 24th of April, 1916 was a watershed date in world history, for, the revolution caused such distress in the minds of the general people that the 1918 elections saw most of the seats in the parliament be taken by the Sinn Fein political party; Sinn Fein's philosophy at the time being pro-independence. One year later they created the free Irish Republic. Northern Ireland, who did not support independence, split off and is still a part of Britain to this day.

I now know why the map is drawn the way it is. I  know why Ireland is divided and why England is called the United Kingdom. History tells us about today. It tells us why things are the way they are and how we came to be. Its study must be prudently attended to. In school, I barely learned anything about the American revolution, and not a thing about Ireland's. Perhaps that island's history is not relevant to the American people as curriculum seems to claim, but it is important to me. And it's important because it's not only the history of a single people, but it is THE HISTORY OF LIBERTY. Which is important to all of us, I should think.

Sources:

 Ptolemy. 150. The Geography

McGee, Thomas D'arcy. 1863. A Popular History of Ireland From the earliest period to the emancipation of the Catholics

Wikipedia. 29 June 2018. Ireland: History of. Retrieved 4:15 July 9, 2018

Connolly, James. 1948. Socialism and Nationalism: A Selection from the Writings of James Connolly (ed. Desmond Ryan)

Stephens,  James. 1916. Insurection at Dublin