The 1916 Insurgents ensured that no inhabitants of any of the 32 counties of Ireland would
be subject to conscription into an armed institution. Nearly one hundred and eight years later the inhabitants remain free of such an imposition.
Not only hundreds of thousands of Irish lives have thus been spared and perhaps millions
of foreigners.
A British recruiting poster featuring Michael O’Leary of West Cork credited him with single-handedly
slaughtering ten unfortunate Germans. His father was rumoured to have advised his neighbours to
“List” with the Brits and follow Michael’s example “because if the Germans land here, they’ll do what the English have been doing for hundreds of years.”
Padraig O Conaire wrote a short story “Seacht Bua an Eirigh Amach” which I think may be translated as “Seven Fruits of the Insurrection”.
I think the saving of hundreds of thousands of lives, Irish and foreign, can be counted amongst the
fruits of the Rising.
Academical cads who would have you believe that the Duellest Daniel O’Connell never shot a man
can put the facts cited in my story in their pipes and smoke them.
Within weeks of ordering the execution of Insurgent leaders, British General Maxwell said that in less than a week the insurgents had done more for Irish Nationalists than their Parliamentary Party had done in 40 years. Within little more than two and a half years Irish voters established a sovereign Republic which they never repudiated.
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