Secret Societies and the Easter Rising
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Dominican Scholar Senior Theses Student Scholarship 5-2016 The Power of a Secret: Secret Societies and the Easter Rising Sierra M. Harlan Dominican University of California https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2016.HIST.ST.01 Survey: Let us know how this paper benefits you. Recommended Citation Harlan, Sierra M., "The Power of a Secret: Secret Societies and the Easter Rising" (2016). Senior Theses. 49. https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2016.HIST.ST.01 This Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Dominican Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Dominican Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE POWER OF A SECRET: SECRET SOCIETIES AND THE EASTER RISING A senior thesis submitted to the History Faculty of Dominican University of California in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in History by Sierra Harlan San Rafael, California May 2016 Harlan ii © 2016 Sierra Harlan All Rights Reserved. Harlan iii Acknowledgments This paper would not have been possible without the amazing support and at times prodding of my family and friends. I specifically would like to thank my father, without him it would not have been possible for me to attend this school or accomplish this paper. He is an amazing man and an entire page could be written about the ways he has helped me, not only this year but my entire life. As a historian I am indebted to a number of librarians and researchers, first and foremost is Michael Pujals, who helped me expedite many problems and was consistently reachable to answer my questions. A favorite professor Jordan Lieser (Dr. J) brought history alive and emphasized the importance of a map (see page viii). Also, classmates Chris Suen (Google) and Alex Pollok who showed up on days that could have been used to work on their own papers. Thank you and I appreciated seeing a friendly face in the crowd. Most importantly my councilor and advisor Sister Pat, without your help, patience, and encouragement I would never have been able to complete this paper. Your notes and edits were timely and appropriate. There are a number of people that never read a page of this paper, but helped me emotionally and mentally through this. The first of which is Ryan Green, who listened to me relentlessly and reassured me that everything would work out – as long as I actually did the work. Lastly I would like to mention my family and friends who consistently inspired and harassed me about this paper; without you this would never have been possible. Harlan iv ABSTRACT The Irish Republican Brotherhood (I.R.B.) and the Irish Volunteer Force (I.V.F.) altered Irish Nationalist tactics from Parliamentary supported Home Rule to a republican movement for Irish Independence. The actions of these secret societies between 1900 and 1916, during the Irish Revolutionary period,1 are the reason that Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. The change from political negotiations by the ineffective Irish Parliamentary Party to the republican movement would never have happened without the Easter Rising of 1916. The centennial anniversary of this Easter Rising makes The Power of a Secret: Ireland’s Secret Societies and the Easter Rising pertinent to all those interested in Irish History. Historians, such as Tim Pat Coogan, Richard English, and Keiron Curtis examined the individual personalities (Michael Collins, P.S. O’Hegarty, and Patrick Pearse) of Irish Nationalism, but never the involvement of the secret associations. This study of two main secret groups, I.R.B. and I.V.F., corrects this missing link of Irish Nationalism. Sources used for research are the primary documents in Irish National Library, Irish National Archives, and University College Dublin, and secondary books about the Easter Rising and Irish Nationalism. The constitution of the I.R.B and I.V.F., as well as letters that were exchanged between members about the organization of their groups, was critical to the content of this paper. The power of a secret was never more vital than with the planning of the rebellion. 1 The period in the 1910s and early 1920s when Irish nationalist opinion shifted from the Home Rule Movement – supporting the Irish Parliamentary Party to the republican Sinn Féin movement. Harlan v Table of Contents List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................. page vi List of Illustrations .................................................................................................. page vii Historiographic Essay ............................................................................................. page 1 Background ............................................................................................................. page 7 Irish Republican Brotherhood ................................................................................. page 12 Irish Volunteer Force .............................................................................................. page 17 Easter Rising ........................................................................................................... page 24 Appendix A: Timeline ............................................................................................ page 30 Appendix B: “Rule Britannia!” ............................................................................... page 33 Selected Bibliography ............................................................................................. page 36 Harlan vi List of Abbreviations D.M.P. = Dublin Metropolitan Police G.A.A. = Gaelic Athletic Association G.L. = Gaelic League I.N.B = Irish National Brotherhood I.P.P. = Irish Parliamentary Party I.R.A. = Irish Republican Army I.R.B. = Irish Republican Brotherhood I.V.F. = Irish Volunteer Force U.V.F. = Ulster Volunteer Force Harlan vii List of Illustrations 1. Map of Ireland, 1916. (Townshend, Charles. Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006, x.). ............................................................................. page viii 2. Irish Volunteers Importing Arms at Howth 1914. The ammunition was transported in the car by the Finnan Eirnnan. (“Those who Set the Stage: Republicans and those who Would Resort to Physical Force: Eoin MacNeill and the Irish Volunteers.” The 1916 Rising Personalities and Perspectives. National Library of Ireland. Curated by Noel Kissane with Historian Michael Laffan. http://www.nli.ie/1916/exhibition/en/content/stag esetters/force/eoinmacneill/index.pdf Accessed August 20, 2015.) ....................... page 23 3. Irish Volunteers Marching Weapons Back from Howth 1914. (“Those who Set the Stage: Republicans and those who Would Resort to Physical Force: Eoin MacNeill and the Irish Volunteers.” The 1916 Rising Personalities and Perspectives. National Library of Ireland. Curated by Noel Kissane with Historian Michael Laffan. http://www.nli.ie/191 6/exhibition/en/content/stagesetters/force/eoinmacneill/index.pdf Accessed August 20, 2015.) ...................................................................................................................... page 23 4. British Armored car used during the Easter Rising 1916. (P-16-001.jpg Bureau of Military History, Dublin 1916. Photograph. http://photogallery.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie /displayimage.php?album=19&pid=33#top_display_media) ................................. page 29 5. The Aftermath of the Easter Rising 1916 on Sackville Street (now O’Connell Street). (“Rising, the: The Rising Day by Day.” The 1916 Rising Personalities and Perspectives. National Library of Ireland. Curated by Noel Kissane with Historian Michael Laffan. http://www.nli.ie/1916/exhibition/en/content/rising/daybyday.pdf Accessed August 20, 2015.) ...................................................................................................................... page 29 Harlan viii 1. Map of Ireland, 1916. (Charles Townshend. Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006, x.) Harlan 1 Historiographic Essay With the centennial anniversary of the1916 Easter Rising1 in April2 2016, there is a great deal of debate on what was the launching point of the Irish Nationalist Movement. Most academic scholarship on Irish Nationalism focus on the factors leading up to and continuing through the Easter Rising (1916) and the Irish Civil War (1923). The literature analyzes particular leaders, regions, or demographics and their role in each of these rebellions. Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon, J. Kendle, Owen McGee, F. X. Martin, and A.C. Hepburn all offer different origins for the Irish Nationalism. Historian Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon wrote Turning Points of the Irish Revolution: The British Government, Intelligence, and the Cost of Indifference, 1912- 1921.3 Grob-Fitzgibbon explores the resources and information that the British had, but neglected to act on, prior to the outbreak of the Easter Rising. He ascertains that the British acted in a way that was inevitable to bring about a movement that could have been prevented from happening.4 The English have always seen the Irish as a thorn in their side.5 From this view, many of the previous laws the English had enacted in Ireland were doomed because of the discriminatory treatment of the Irish as a whole. He concludes 1 Terminology is vital to understanding Irish history, especially surrounding Irish Nationalism. For this paper I will be