The Easter Rising and Its Effect on Irish Literature and Music

Frederick C. Millett
Its the same old theme since 1916 In your head, In your head theyre still fightin With their tanks and their bombs And their bombs and their guns In your head they are dyin The Cranberries, Zombie

It is a date that will live forever in Irish history. A time of confusion and war the Easter Rising of 1916 was an event that would redefine Irish nationalism in the twentieth century. Through the course of one week, the future of Ireland and their perception of independence were forever changed. Thus, it is easy to see how an event with so many historical implications could have such an impact on Irish literature. It seems to be a rite of passage for any Irish author, old or new, to write a poem, novel, or song about this tragic rebellion. From the great William Butler Yeats and the famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, to the contemporary poet Paul McCann, many Irish writers have written about the effects of the Easter Rising on Irish life. Even modern Irish musicians such as The Cranberries, Sinead

OConnor, and U2 have been inspired by this important piece of history. It goes without question that the Easter Rising of 1916 was an integral part of Irish history and has made a long-lasting impression on Irish literature and music. Preparations for the Easter Rising began in 1915 when rebel leaders from the IRB Military Council enlisted the aide of the Irish Volunteer Force (IVF) for the rebellion. With England busy fighting Germany in the First World War, the Irish leaders believed that Englands difficulty is Irelands opportunity. The original plans called for an insurrection in Dublin on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1916 with 11,000 Irish troops supported by German troops and munitions. Complications would later cause these plans to fail. Eoin MacNeill, one of the leaders of the IVF who opposed a wartime rising, was informed of the plans a few days before the rebellion and told his troops that the plans had been cancelled. The leaders of the IRB Military Council also found out that the ship carrying German aid to Ireland had been captured by the British. Despite these complications, the leaders were determined to go through with the insurrection and on Monday, April 24, 1916, the rising began.1 Among the more important aspects of the preparations for the Easter Rising was the writing of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. This document declared to the people of Ireland that Ireland was

free from foreign rule. Its aim was to explain to the people of Dublin (and all of Ireland) the purpose of the rising and to gain support among the Irish. It mentions that the rising was not a sudden, spontaneous occurrence and that the Irish have fought for freedom for the past three hundred years. The seven writers of the proclamation declared a free republic where they would set up and administer a Provisional Government. They also mention the organizations involved in the rising and support by gallant allies in Europe, a statement that meant certain death for all the signers if the rising failed. It is rather ironic in the way this proclamation was written, since it is very similar to the United States Declaration of Independence. proclamation: The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.2 This is very similar to the following from the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness3. Another similarity is that both declarations place God above all government and assert that He will guide and protect their newly formed republic. There are a few differences between the two documents, however. The Irish proclamation is written to men and women of Ireland while the Declaration of Independence specifically mentions only men. This may be due to the fact that the Irish proclamation was written at a much later date (1916) than the American declaration (1776). Another difference was in the acceptance of the countrymen to each document. The Declaration of Independence was an inspiration to the people of the United States to break free from English rule and wage a war of independence. The response to the Irish proclamation read by Patrick Pearse was, according to the Irish poet Stephen McKenna, chilling. There were no wild hurrahs, no scenes reminiscent of the excitement which had gripped the French mob before they stormed the Bastille. The Irish simply listened and shrugged their shoulders, or sniggered a little, and then glanced round to see if the police were coming4. The irony that this proclamation parallels that of the Declaration of Independence is in the fact that the American Revolution was a success while the Easter Rising was a failure. The American declaration is one of the countrys greatest documents and its signatures represent some of Americas greatest heroes and patriots. The Irish proclamation, however, is mentioned only in context to the Easter Rising and while the signatures on the document do represent Irish heroes today, in 1916 they were all considered traitors and executed by the British. For example, the following is an excerpt from the Irish

The insurrection in Dublin lasted a little over a week and cost the lives of 450 men (mostly British), with 2,614 injured. Of the 11,000 Irish volunteers originally planned for, only around 1500 showed up in Dublin. These 1500 valiant Irishmen fought close to 20,000 British troops5 the fact that this rising lasted as long as it did was quite astounding. As the poet James Stephens, who was in Dublin at the time of the rising, writes: Meantime the belief grows that the Volunteers may be able to hold out much longer than had been imagined. The idea at first among the people had been that the insurrection would be ended the morning after it had begun. But today, the insurrection having lasted three days, people are ready to conceive that it may last forever. There is almost a feeling of gratitude towards the Volunteers because they are holding out for a little while, for had they been beaten the first or second day the city would have been humiliated to the soul...For being beaten does not greatly matter in Ireland, but not fighting does matter. They went forth always to the battle; and they always fell. Indeed, the history of the Irish race is in that phrase. 6 Stephens book, The Insurrection in Dublin, gives a first-hand account of the Easter Rising and offers many suggestions to the attitudes of the Irish people at that time. According to Stephens, there was much confusion in Ireland over the rising: Was the city for or against the Volunteers? Was it for the

Volunteers, and yet against the rising? It is considered now (writing a day or two afterwards) that Dublin was entirely against the Volunteers, but on the day of which I write no such certainty could be put forward7. Stephens writes about many people in Dublin who were going through life acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening many people felt this rising would be over in a few days and everything would go back to normal in Ireland. Even Stephens writes the following about his predictions for the post-Easter Rising Ireland: All this, I said to myself, will be finished in a few days, and they will be finished; life here will recommence exactly where it left off, and except for some newly filled graves, all will be as it had been until they become a tradition and enter the imagination of their race. 8 As it turns out, Stephens prediction could not be more wrong. The events following the rising would soon change the face of Ireland forever. Before May 10, 1916 (less than two weeks after the insurrection was over) twelve of the Irish leaders of the rising had already been executed by the British. Two more men were shot on May 12 including James Connolly, leader of the Irish Citizen Army, who was so injured, he had to be strapped to a chair and shot. All seven writers of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, Clarke, MacDiarmada, MacDonagh, Pearse, Ceannt, Connolly, and Plunkett, were executed. In a letter that appeared in The

Daily News on May 10, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw pleaded with the British to stop the executions. He stated that, although public opinion in Ireland may have been against the rising, no one accepts the view that what happened was the execution of a gang of criminals9. He goes on to write that Ireland had every right to fight for their freedom and every right to accept aide from Germany. Shaw even offers his own prediction for the future: 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 shot Irishmen will now take their places beside Emmet and the Manchester martyrs in Ireland, and beside the heros of Poland and Serbia and Belgium in Europe; and nothing in heaven or earth can prevent it.10 Powerful words from Shaw words that would later be proven correct. The Irish would never forget what happened after the Easter Rising and never forget those who lost their lives to fight for their freedom. Months later the great Irish poet W.B. Yeats, inspired by the rising, would write Easter 1916 and further make the event unforgettable. As he writes, again opposed to Stephens belief, All changed, changed utterly: / A terrible beauty is born11. Yeats begins his poem by explaining how ordinary and normal the Easter Week rebels were before the rising. How he would pass them on the street and think nothing of it or exchange with them polite meaningless words or even mock them behind their backs: And thought before I had done / Of a mocking tale or a gibe / To please a companion / Around the fire at the club. Yeats then continues by explaining the lives of a few of the rebels before the rising. He talks about Constance Markievicz and her ignorant good-will and Patrick Pearse and his friend Thomas MacDonagh, who founded and ran a Gaelic school. He even talks about Sean MacBride, a drunken, vainglorious lout who married Yeats beloved Maud Gonne. However, the Easter Rising would change all these people considerably from ordinary to extraordinary. He later mentions that the world is changing all around him, minute by minute. Yet hearts with one purpose alone / Through summer and winter seem / Enchanted to a stone, which means that the perceptions of those who died will never change. He compares hearts with only one purpose to a stone, symbolizing that those who wish only for Irish independence will do whatever it takes to accomplish this goal and will never change until that goal is complete. What Yeats is doing in this third stanza is transforming the ordinary lives of the rebels he knew into the lives of myth and symbol. While everything is changing in Ireland, the stones in the midst of all, meaning that the rebels will never be forgotten. In the final stanza, Yeats questions the sacrifice of the Easter Week rebels. He questions whether Ireland will ever be free and if it is worth the fight. Was it needless death after all? Yeats asks, and wonders how much death will suffice in bringing Ireland its freedom. Although he may have disagreed with their actions, Yeats honors their courage and

bravery. By completing the poem with the names of a few of the martyrs, he finishes their transformation into Irish legend: I write it out in a verse / MacDonagh and MacBride / And Connolly and Pearse / Now and in time to be, / Wherever green is worn, / Are changed, changed utterly: / A terrible beauty is born. By their deaths, these men have become Irish heroes of independence and wherever in Ireland one may be, their names will live in history. The terrible events of 1916 have created a beautiful legend in Irish history and the dreams of the Easter Week rebels will never be forgotten. In 1919 a parish priest from Kilcoo, Canon Charles ONeill, wrote the ballad The Foggy Dew about the Easter Rising (for lyrics, see the Appendix). This ballad would later become one of the most famous songs about the 1916 insurrection later sung by Sinead OConnor with The Chieftains.12 The lyrics are very powerful and tell the story of the insurrection in Dublin. The mood of the lyrics is very positive at the beginning of poem, referring to the men as strong, proud, and ready for war, as can be seen by these lyrics: Right proudly high in Dublin town / Hung they out a flag of war13. However, as we already know, the rising failed and we see that in the negative mood ending the poem: And back through the glen I rode again / And my heart with grief was sore / For I parted then with valiant men / Whom I never shall see more. Similar to Shaws prediction and Yeats poem, this ballad refers to the men who died as heroes and legends. This is shown in the last lines of the poem: But to and fro in my dreams I go / And I kneel and pray for you / For slavery fled, oh glorious dead / When you fell in the foggy dew. The martyrs of the Easter Rising have become glorious, valiant men of dreams who are an inspiration to the people of Ireland for freedom and independence. The use of dreams by both Yeats and ONeill further suggests that in death, the lives of those otherwise ordinary men have been turned into lives of myth and legend. However, unlike Yeats poem, The Foggy Dew does not question the sacrifice of the Easter Week rebels. The men who died during and after the rising are praised throughout the whole poem as fearless, valiant, and glorious. In the version of this song sung by Sinead OConnor (who has a very powerful, yet haunting, Irish voice) we truly feel remorse for the men who died and the powerful and haunting lyrics are intensified by her performance. Contemporary poet Paul McCann, who was born in Belfast, wrote the poem The Easter Rising of 1916 in 1996 (see Appendix for poem). In the poem he talks about the brave men who fought and died during the rising. He refers to the dead as martyrs, showing that even today Shaws prediction about the executed leaders was accurate: The brave few where taken and executed. / Shot down in cold blood under a gray Irish sky by dark hands of the stranger. / They claimed martyrdom14. Similar to The Foggy Dew, this poem praises the men who died in the rising, referring to them as brave, noble, and valiant. We can clearly see that the men who died during the rising have been transformed into immortal Irish heroes even today people still remember their names and what they died for. It mentions again that Ireland has seen the coming of a new day which parallels Yeats statement that all has changed,

changed utterly confirming Yeats belief that Ireland would never be the same after that important event. McCann even quotes Patrick Pearse, one of the leaders of the rising to die, when he proclaims that Ireland unfree shall never be at peace. It is interesting to see that after eighty years, the Easter Rising is still a vivid event in Irish history and much of the same principles are present in the literature. McCann, however, ends his poem on a rather dull note by saying: the Easter rising of 1916 has entombed the spirit, / but has not seen this nation one. He is referring here to the fact that the island is still split between the two countries and that fighting is still going on to this day. The Easter Rising may have started the fight for Irish independence from England, but there are still many problems in Ireland that the rising did not fix. The martyrs of the rising may have inspired Ireland to seek freedom, but complete freedom is yet to be achieved. In 1994, the Irish alternative-rock group, The Cranberries, released their second album entitled No Need To Argue. The first single off the album, Zombie, was arguably the bands biggest hit (for lyrics, see the Appendix). In the song, lead singer Delores ORiordan expresses her views about the inhumanity of violence. This is mostly an anti-war song, but as seen from the quote at the beginning of this paper, it does make some references to the Easter Rising. The song mentions that since 1916, violence has been commonplace in Ireland. Also, the title Zombie could make a reference to the dead martyrs of the Easter Rising and other Irish rebellions. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, zombie is a term that means a supernatural power or spell that ... can enter into and reanimate a corpse15. The title of ORiordans song could then be a statement of how the martyrs of the Easter Rising will never be forgotten. By transforming their lives into those of myth and legend, Ireland has reanimated those who have died for their independence through history, literature, and music thereby making the rebels of the rising immortal. In a way, those brave men that died in 1916 have become zombies, although a better term may be legends. Another definition of zombie is: one who looks or behaves like an automaton. This may be a symbol of ORiordans anti-war theme throughout the song. War and violence in this world could make everyone behave like robots, aimlessly killing one another for no good reason. The lyrics, Whats in your head, Zombie16 could symbolize ORiordan expressing the mindlessness of violence. It could be a question to Ireland asking why they are still fighting themselves and England after all these years, such as the lyrics In your head theyre still fighting suggest. Even the most popular band from Ireland, U2, has written a song that makes references to the Easter Rising. Off their third album, War, Sunday Bloody Sunday is a song about Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1972 (for lyrics, see the Appendix). On January 30, 1972, thirteen Irish civilians were killed by British soldiers while protesting against a new law passed in Northern Ireland.17 However, this song also shows signs of going back further in Irish history and talking about some of their earlier troubles. The lyrics, How long must we sing this song?18 give the first sign that this song is

more complex than just what is on the surface. These lyrics tell the listener that Irish problems with England began much before Bloody Sunday. The largest hint of the Easter Rising in this song is in the following lyrics: But I wont heed the battle call / It puts my back up / Puts my back up against the wall. These lyrics are possibly explaining the reason why the original preparations for the insurrection failed. Originally 11,000 Irish troops were supposed to meet in Dublin for the rising, but only 1500 showed up. Puts my back up against the wall could refer to the fact that although the Irishmen wanted independence, they did not want an insurrection while England was at war with Germany. It could also refer to some of the troops in the IVF under Eoin MacNeill, who did not show up in Dublin because they believed the rising to be cancelled. Even the lyrics beginning the song, I cant believe the news today, could easily be interpreted as the news after the Easter Rising when the British executed all the leaders of the rising although these lyrics are also referring to the news on January 30, 1972. In the lyrics And the battles just begun / Theres many lost, but tell me who has won / The trench is dug within our hearts, we see Irelands constant struggle with England throughout the years. And the battles just begun is telling the listener that Ireland has been fighting England for hundreds of years, but the battle is not over yet the real battle has yet to be fought. Even the title of the song, Sunday Bloody Sunday, could have some connections to the Easter Rising. While the Bloody Sunday connection is obvious, it could also refer to the original plans for the Easter Rising to take place on Sunday, April 23, 1916. Also, Easter is usually associated with falling on Sunday, so the title Sunday Bloody Sunday could refer to that tragic, bloody event that happened on Easter 1916. From the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, which was written by the Easter Week leaders for the Easter Rising, to the poem The Easter Rising of 1916, written by Paul McCann eighty years after the rising, Irish literature has truly been affected by this tragic event in Irish history (to see my own contribution to the literature, see the Appendix for the poem entitled Easter Rising). From modern Irish musicians as diverse as Sinead OConnor and The Cranberries, we see the same themes of the rising as we saw in the writings of Yeats and Shaw in the literature of the 1910s. This shows how the Easter Rising has never been forgotten the men who died for Irish independence truly were heroes and were transformed into Irish myth and legend and to this day it still contains the same powerful message as it did in 1916. It is quite obvious that without the events of 1916, Irish literature and music would have never been the same.

References
1. The Background to the Rising. BBC Online. Wars & Conflict 1916 Easter Rising Insurrection. 18 June 2004. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/easterrising/insurrection/in01.shtml. 2. Irish Proclamation of Independence, 1916. The 1916 Rebellion. 18 June 2004. Available: http://www.1916rising.com/proclamation.html 3. The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. The National Archives Experience. 18 June 2004. Avail: http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/declaration_transcript.html 4. 1916 Easter Rising. Images of Ireland.Net. 18 June 2004. Available: http://www.imagesofireland.net/easterrising.html 5. The Easter Rising. BBC Online. Wars & Conflict 1916 Easter Rising Insurrection. 18 June 2004. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/easterrising/insurrection/in03.shtml 6. Stephens, James. Wednesday. The Insurrection in Dublin (1916). From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 237 7. Stephens, James. Wednesday. The Insurrection in Dublin (1916). From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 236 8. Stephens, James. Wednesday. The Insurrection in Dublin (1916). From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 238 9. Shaw, G.B. The Easter Week Executions. The Daily News, 10 May 1916. From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 239 10. Shaw, G.B. The Easter Week Executions. The Daily News, 10 May 1916. From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 240 11. Yeats, W.B. Easter 1916. September 25, 1916. From Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century (2000), edited by David Pierce. p. 271 12. Songs of Rebellion. BBC Online. Wars & Conflict 1916 Easter Rising Rebel Songs. 19 June 2004. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/easterrising/songs/rs04.shtml 13. The Foggy Dew. BBC Online. Wars & Conflict 1916 Easter Rising Rebel Songs. 19 June 2004. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/easterrising/songs/rs_song06.shtml 14. McCann, Paul. The Easter Rising of 1916. International War Veterans Poetry Archive. 19 June 2004. Available: http://www.iwvpa.net/mccannp/the_east.htm 15. Zombie. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2000. 20 June 2004. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=zombie 16. Zombie. Written by Delores ORiordan, performed by The Cranberries. From the album No Need To Argue. 1994. Island Recordings, Inc. 17. Remembering Bloody Sunday. 20 June 2004. Available: http://larkspirit.com/bloodysunday/ 18. Sunday Bloody Sunday. Written and performed by U2. From the Album War. 1983. Island Records, Inc.

Appendix
The Foggy Dew
Lyrics by Canon Charles ONeill
As down the glen one Easter morn To a city fair rode I, Their armed lines of marching men In squadrons did pass me by. No pipe did hum, no battle drum Did sound its loud tattoo But the Angelus' bells o'er the Liffey's swell Rang out in the foggy dew. Right proudly high in Dublin town Hung they out a flag of war. 'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar. And from the plains of Royal Meath Strong men came hurrying through; While Brittania's Huns with their long-range guns Sailed in through the foggy dew. The bravest fell, and the requiem bell Rang mournfully and clear For those who died that Easter-tide In the springing of the year. While the world did gaze with deep amaze At those fearless men but few Who bore the fight that freedom's light Might shine through the foggy dew. And back through the glen I rode again And my heart with grief was sore For I parted then with valiant men Whom I never shall see more But to and fro in my dreams I go And I kneel and pray for you For slavery fled, oh glorious dead When you fell in the foggy dew.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Lyrics by U2
I cant believe the news today Oh, I cant close my eyes and make it go away How long... How long must we sing this song? How long? how long... Cause tonight...we can be as one Tonight... Broken bottles under childrens feet Bodies strewn across the dead end street But I wont heed the battle call It puts my back up Puts my back up against the wall Sunday, bloody sunday Sunday, bloody sunday And the battles just begun Theres many lost, but tell me who has won The trench is dug within our hearts And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart Sunday, bloody sunday Sunday, bloody sunday How long... How long must we sing this song? How long? how long... Cause tonight...we can be as one Tonight... Sunday, bloody sunday Sunday, bloody sunday Wipe the tears from your eyes Wipe your tears away Wipe your tears away I wipe your tears away I wipe your blood shot eyes Sunday, bloody sunday Sunday, bloody sunday And its true we are immune When fact is fiction and tv reality And today the millions cry We eat and drink while tomorrow they die The real battle yet begun To claim the victory jesus won On... Sunday bloody sunday Sunday bloody sunday...

Appendix
Zombie
Lyrics by Dolores ORiordan
Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken And the violence caused such silence Who are we mistaken But you see it's not me, it's not my family In your head, in your head, they are fighting With their tanks, and their bombs And their bombs, and their guns In your head, In your head they are cryin' In your head Zombie Whats in your head, in your head Zombie Another mother's breakin' heart is taking over When the violence causes silence We must be mistaken It's the same old theme since 1916 In your head, In your head they're still fightin' With their tanks, and their bombs And their bombs, and their guns In your head, in your head they are dyin' In your head, in your head Zombie Whats in your head, in your head Zombie From out of those graves Irish blood still flows. While Ireland holds these graves Ireland unfree shall never be at peace. Ireland has seen the coming of a new day, the Easter rising of 1916 has entombed the spirit, but has not seen this nation one.

Easter Rising
By Frederick C. Millett
Its a tale of brave and valiant men Who fought many years ago. Freedom is all they cared for then And they died to let us know. Ireland unfree will never be at peace. In this belief they went to war. They fought for freedom to live in peace That is what this rising was for. They wrote a proclamation Declaring Ireland to be free. But there was little celebration We knew itd end in misery. They had just 1500 strong But they put up a decent fight Its amazing they lasted so long Considering their opponents might. We didnt think too much of them For bringing unwanted war, But then the British executed them Theyll be heroes for evermore. We now heed their valiant call In whatever place we may be, In Dublin or in Donegal, Their names shall live in history.

The Easter Rising of 1916

By Paul McCann
Inside the post office a few men of high repute had entombed themselves, the cause a gallant one. Their laws, a valiant heroic fight to the death. If they should fall their glory in martyrdom would arise. The brave few Irish patriots bowed down not to fear but stood up to their oppressors as they were called. God under a pale Irish sky, where gold lined the silver streets and shadows surrounded the post office, as strangers they dared to despise. Jealous of the gold and silver. Greedy of that noble cause. The brave few where taken and executed. Shot down in cold blood under a grey Irish sky by dark hands of the stranger. They claimed martyrdom.

(written on June 19, 2004)

10