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HISTORY OF THE IRB

1858 1863 Stephens, arrested. He escaped and Waterford suppressed. THE IRISH Founded in Denounced by Catholic from prison and travelled to ‘ Martyrs’ hanged in REPUBLICAN on St Patrick’s Day Church hierarchy. America. November. 60,000 at funeral in by Newspaper, the Irish Dublin. BROTHERHOOD: (right). Called the People, is published. 1867 Irish Revolutionary Suppressed two years Denounced by Pope Pius IX. 1869 SNAPSHOTS Brotherhood at first. later. Rising planned for February Supreme Council drafted Secret, oath-bound called off because of informer. a constitution for the Irish IN TIME... society, structured on 1865 Outbreaks in March in Dublin, Republic. IRB soldiers called the military principles. Leaders, including , , Clare .

The outbre“ak of the First World War seemed to present republicans with an ideal opportunity to turn the old mantra ‘England’s difficulty is ’s opportunity’ into political reality. In , Thomas Clarke (pictured) chaired a meeting of the Supreme Council which came to the decision to stage an insurrection before the conflict’s end DrReRichard McElligott lectures invoModern Irish History at UCDlutionMARK CONDREN is in the air The Irish Republican Brotherhood’s revival played a key role in the planning of 1916, writes Dr Richard McElligott

HE Irish Republican politics than plotting the overthrow of cultural to physical force nationalism, a secured key positions on the IRB’s Supreme Brotherhood (IRB) British rule. development demonstrated most forcefully Council. Under their secret direction, the had been established Yet the advent of the Gaelic Revival and by the fact that six of the seven signatories Brotherhood now became a much more as a secret, oath- its profound impact on of the 1916 Proclamation were Gaelic active and prominent force in the years bound, revolutionary would help rejuvenate the IRB. The League members and five of the 16 men before 1916. organisation dedicated to Brotherhood became adept at infiltrating subsequently executed were prominent in the overthrow of British the various organisations which sprung the GAA. EANWHILE the formation of T up in its wake. In particular, its members In 1905 two members of the IRB, the Volunteers signalled the rule in Ireland by violent Mmoment the gun was introduced means. However following the disaster of its gained increasing influence within the Denis McCullough and , 1867 rebellion, the ruling Supreme Council Gaelic League and the GAA, two pillars took a leading role in the reinvigoration into popular Irish nationalist politics. The adopted a new constitution which dictated of the emerging cultural nationalist of the Brotherhood. Through their mutual threat posed by militant unionism to that the Brotherhood and its members movement. The centenary celebrations of involvement in Sinn Féin, Hobson became nationalist aspirations of helped would wait until they enjoyed the popular the 1798 rebellion also facilitated the IRB’s close friends with Seán Mac Diarmada, radicalise a number of former political support of the Irish people before they re-emergence on the national stage. Many who was subsequently sworn into the moderates. attempted another uprising. of its members were successfully appointed Brotherhood. In 1907 their reorganisation Among them was who By the 1890s, that prospect looked to local and national 1798 centenary of the IRB was given added impetus by the now began to extol the virtues of an armed increasingly remote as self-government committees, established to organise and return to Ireland from the United States of nationalist militia; ‘We must accustom for Ireland, in the form of Home Rule, plan the celebrations to mark that doomed Thomas Clarke. Aware of the possibility of ourselves … to the use of arms … bloodshed seemed on the cusp of reality and only an rebellion. a future European war between the Great is a cleansing and a sanctifying thing, and insignificant minority persisted in their More significantly, the emergence of Powers, Clarke returned to help ensure that the nation which regards it as the final commitment to achieving an cultural nationalism as a force in Irish if Britain was dragged into such a conflict, horror has lost its manhood.’ through arms. As the new century dawned, society helped to radicalise a committed Irish republicans would be in a positon to Pearse along with fellow Gaelic League the IRB appeared to have increasingly core of young militant nationalists who react. members, Joseph Mary Plunkett, Éamonn lost its way. Its membership (which once revitalised the Brotherhood. Veterans of Once Mac Diarmada, McCullough and Ceannt and Thomas MacDonagh, surpassed 40,000) shrank and its leadership the 1916 Rising would later remark how Hobson relocated to Dublin, Clarke became attended the inaugural meeting of the seemed more interested in Dublin municipal their generation naturally graduated from their political mentor. By 1911 all four had Volunteers in November 1913 and all four

12 | Irish Independent 1916 Collection Irish Independent I 29 October 2015 HISTORY OF THE IRB

1873 1884 1904 1913 180,000. Divide opens on constitutional Adopted policy of Belfast revival with Hobson held public meeting at formed. continue versus non-constitutional infiltrating organisations Bulmer Hobson (left), Denis the Rotunda, Dublin, at which with Patrick Pearse and Joseph approach. Membership fell from such as the GAA. McCullough and Seán Irish Volunteers was established. Plunkett as Directors of Military 11,000 to around 8,000. Mac Diarmada. Organisation, and Thomas 1898 1914 MacDonagh as Director of Support recovered 1907 Membership around 80,000. Training. These three became 1876 with leading role Return from The lands rifles and members of the IRB Military Support withdrawn for in 1798 Rising New York of ammunition at . By Council and planned for the Home Rule. commemorations. Thomas Clarke. September, membership was . FC

Thomas Clarke (main) became a mentor for many of the younger members of the IRB. Right: Extract from typed copy of ’s diary, March 1915, when he was dispatched to Germany to convince the government there to support IRB plans by supplying Volunteers. GETTY IMAGES, MILITARY ARCHIVES

men were elected onto the Volunteers’ effort split the powerful movement in two, written records of its meetings, yet by now who reported directly to Pearse, bypassing ruling provisional committee. Though the IRB’s control over the more radical it had become the real power within the MacNeill’s official chain of command. the force was nominally under the control faction under MacNeill continued to grow. IRB. MacDonagh, who was finally initiated Profoundly influenced by the legacy of the of another high ranking Gaelic Leaguer, In the winter of 1914, Pearse’s growing into the IRB in the spring of 1915, and James failed rebellion of his idol, Robert Emmett, Eoin MacNeill, the IRB had already begun national prominence as the Volunteers’ Connolly, whose radical Citizen Army had Pearse became increasingly convinced to clandestinely infiltrate it at every level. chief propagandist secured him the role increasingly aligned with the Volunteers that modern Irish nationalism needed Through their prominent Volunteer activity, of Director of Military Organisation in the throughout the previous year, were the last a similar sacrificial gesture. Only then Pearse and Plunkett were co-opted into the newly created Volunteer Headquarters Staff. two members to join the Council in January would it be pushed into a final and decisive Brotherhood (Mac Diarmada had already He was joined by Plunkett who became the 1916. war of independence against British rule. recruited Ceannt into the IRB in 1911). Volunteers’ Director of Military Operations, Pearse was now emerging as the central Increasingly displaying this martyrdom The outbreak of the First World War MacDonagh (Director of Training) and figure of the forthcoming rebellion and complex, Pearse had prefigured his destiny seemed to present republicans with an Ceannt (Director of Communications). had initially planned to launch a revolt in a play, The Singer, which he wrote in 1915. ideal opportunity to turn the old Fenian in September 1915. To that end Plunkett It centred on a poet-turned-rebel who dies mantra ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s HE following May, Clarke and Mac was dispatched on a mission to Germany proclaiming ‘one man can free a people as opportunity’ into political reality. In Diarmada established a separate to convince its government to support the one man (Christ) redeemed the world.’ T Military Council within the IRB IRB’s plans by supplying the Volunteers As events would soon show, Pearse’s sense September 1914, Clarke chaired a meeting of the Supreme Council which came to the to finalise plans for an uprising against with a shipment of modern, military grade of destiny was strong enough to pull the decision to stage an insurrection before British rule using the Irish Volunteers. The rifles and heavy weaponry. The rebellion’s other six signatories and 1,500 Volunteers the conflict’s end. An Advisory Committee continuation of the First World War offered date was subsequently pushed back until the into the maelstrom of Easter 1916. was subsequently established which the Council the opportunity and time to spring of 1916. Into the winter of 1915, the approached Plunkett (a man considered execute its plans. Pearse, Plunkett and Military Council secretly perfected its plans, Dr Richard McElligott lectures in Modern by his contemporaries to have a flair for Ceannt were the only ones initially on the which were a modified form of Plunkett’s Irish History in UCD. His study of the role of military tactics) to draft a plan for military Council and numbers were kept small for strategy worked out the previous year. In the GAA in the 1916 Rising will be published operations in Dublin. security purposes. In September Clarke and preparation for the uprising, Volunteer units this October in ‘The GAA and Revolution in Once ’s call for the Mac Diarmada also joined. across the country were increasingly placed Ireland: 1913-1923’ (Collins Press), edited by Volunteers to enlist in the British war Gathering in secret, the Council left no under the command of trusted IRB men Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh

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