The Rising

The story of the Easter Rising of 1916 from the perspective of those who made it, focusing on the experiences of rank and file revolutionaries. The book makes use of a unique collection of over 1,700 eye-witness statements that has only recently seen the light of day, representing one of the richest and most comprehensive oral history archives devoted to any modern revolution. Using this unique source, McGarry shows how people from ordinary backgrounds becamepoliticized and involved in the struggle for Irish independence in the early years of the twentieth century, illuminating their motives and aspirations and highlighting the importance of the Great War as acatalyst for the uprising. He concludes by exploring the Rising's revolutionary aftermath, which saw the creation of an Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann, and the Irish Republican Army's armed campaign to win independence.