Paul McCartney doesn’t seem a natural bed-fellow for George Bernard Shaw but on one matter they do come together. In his famous song Give Ireland Back to the Irish (banned by the BBC), McCartney poses a question:
Tell me how would you like it
If on your way to work
You were stopped by Irish soldiers
Would you lie down, do nothing?
Would you give in or go berserk?
Shaw, writing at the time of the Easter Rising in 1916, made a similar point: “An Irishman resorting to arms to achieve the independence of his country is doing only what Englishmen will do if it be their misfortune to be invaded and conquered by the Germans in the course of the present [1914-18] war”.
Shaw’s response to the 1916 executions pinpointed Britain’s clumsiness in dealing with the rebels: “It is absolutely impossible to slaughter a man in this position without making him a martyr and a hero, even though the day before the rising he may have been only a minor poet…The military authorities and the British Government must have known that they were canonizing their prisoners.”
You would think so but they probably didn’t. W B Yeats, meanwhile, looked back in old age and worried that his literary work might have created the Rising: “Did that play of mine send out/ Certain men the English shot?” It’s fair to say he over-estimated the power of his words and underestimated the determination of the rebels.
Anyone who has done the tour of Kilmainham Jail will remember the chill of the Stonebreakers’ Yard, where the leaders of the Rising were executed. Here is a description of the last minutes in the life of Sean Heuston, told by a Capuchin priest Fr Albert:
“At about 3.45 am a British soldier knocked at the door of the cell and told us time was up. We both walked out together down to the end of the large open space from which a corridor leads to the gaol yards. Here his hands were tied behind his back, a cloth tied over his eyes and a small piece of white paper about four or five inches square, pinned on to his coat over his heart. Just then we saw Father Augustine with Com. M. Mallin come towards us from the cell where they had been.
We were now told to be ready. I had a small cross in my hand, and though blindfolded, Sean bent his head and kissed the crucifix; this was the last thing his lips touched in life. We now proceeded towards the yard where the execution was to take place. My left arm was linked in his right, while the British soldier who had handcuffed and blindfolded him walked on his left. As we walked slowly along we repeated most of the prayers that we had been saying in his cell. On our way we passed a group of soldiers. These I afterwards learned were awaiting Com. Mallin who was following us.
Having reached a second yard I saw there another group of military armed with rifles, some of them were standing and some sitting or kneeling. A soldier directed Sean and myself to a corner of the yard, a short distance from the outer wall of the prison. Here there was a box (seemingly a soap box) and Sean was told to sit down on it. He was perfectly calm and said with me for the last time, My Jesus, mercy. I scarcely had moved away a few yards when a volley went off, and this noble soldier of Irish freedom fell dead.”
Thanks Jude. We stood yesterday in graveyards all over Ireland to remember our noble dead. The barbarity of the English in carrying out the executions has left an indelible mark on the soul of Ireland that has never been healed. For this reason English Royals should not be invited to the 100th remembrance ceremonies
Agreed Maggie may. IMO, the1916 remembrance in two years should be a thoughtful and solemn time., a time to really think about what those men lived and died for. Their should be some joy as well, some of Ireland has a degree of freedom and , there should be some reminder that the job is not finished, that Ireland remains partitioned. Lastly there should be hope, that some day, the country will be united as one nation , where all traditions have respect and equal representation. the Irish people deserve better than what they now have.
I do not doubt the courage of those who took part in the rising, but must we always remember only them and forget they took the lives of many civilians.
Let us remember them too.
I am tired of hearing of men and women who died for their cause, gave their lives for a cause but never hearing how they killed, injured, bombed, terrorised the unarmed civilians in their way.
You have a poing, gio. I’d find it more telling, though, if the same criteria were applied to large-scale battles and wars – for example, the bombing of British and German and Japanese cities. For the most part these were intentional attacks on civilian targets; I very much doubt if the 1916 rebels were aiming to kill civilians.
Jude
I fully agree that the same applies to large scale wars.
If I remember correctly though, civilians were shot for obstructing the rising,refusing to give up their vehicle for example..
It is as well to remember the price paid by others for their nobility.
Lets not forget, the internment which began after the 1916 rising. The suspects and sympathisers were marched through Dublin where the locals spat and jeered at them prior to being processed and shipped off to Frongoch internment camp. If the executions hadn’t occurred, the 26 counties would still be under British rule and Charles and Camilla would be having regular breaks in their holiday house, Dublin castle.
I have a question regarding the events of a hundred years ago, can any non Republican tell me who exactly the weapons the UVF imported into the six counties were to be used against? Was it the lawful British authorities? Or was it the likes of the McMahon family, slaughtered in their home? I think I know but I have often wondered who the Unionist `democrats` were going to fight.