For many of us here in America, we tend to celebrate our Irish heritage on March 17th, otherwise known as St. Patrick’s Day. This is the day where virtually everyone you know will be celebrating by wearing green, eating green foods, drinking green drinks, wearing clovers, attempting to catch leprechauns at the end of the rainbow and going out to the pub to have a pint or two of green beer. It’s a jolly day full of luck and blessings for everyone we go all out for the holiday.
However in Ireland, a much bigger event will happen in a short 10 days. On March 27, Ireland will be celebrating its 100th anniversary as an independent state from Britain. Though Ireland actually fully seceded from Britain in 1949, the year of 1916 marks the year for the famous Easter Uprising, an event that would get the ball rolling for Ireland to move towards becoming its own nation.
The event took place during Easter week–chosen by rebels for its religious significance and resonance- lasting from Easter Monday up until Easter Sunday, when Irish rebels surrendered. The week is marked by bloodshed from battles between Irish rebels and the British forces attempting to stomp out the rebellion altogether. The number of casualties totaled to around 485 dead, with only a small portion of those causalities being actual participants in the rebellion; most of the causalities from the Easter Uprising were in fact civilian causalities.
To celebrate the occasion and bring awareness to this day in Irish history, Patrick Kennedy from Harvard University has published an article on the subject with the help of Professor Catherine McKenna, detailing the origins of the Easter Uprising and the significance of the centennial celebrations of Irish independence. You can read the article on their website.