Irish History

1916: Easter Rising,

The Easter rising was an insurrection that was staged in 1916, during Easter week in Ireland. Irish republicans who intended on ending the British Rule over Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic powered the rising. The republicans struck at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War. It was classed as the most significant uprising since the 1798 Rebellion. The uprising was organised by 7 members of the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Rising lasted from Easter Monday 24th to 30th April 1916. Schoolteacher and barrister Patrick Pearse led members of the Irish volunteers, joined by the smaller Irish Citizen Army of James Connolly. They seized important areas of Dublin and proclaimed the Irish Republic independent of Britain. Some uprisings occurred in other parts of Ireland but except for the attack on the Royal Irish Constabulary, they were minor. The out come of the Easter Rising was that Ireland got the unconditional surrender of rebel forces, the execution of most leaders and a public surge in support for Sinn Fin at the 1918 general election.

1972: Bloody Sunday,

Bloody Sunday also known as the Bogside Massacre was a horrific incident on 30th January 1972, in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. Soldiers of the British army shot 26 unarmed civil-rights protesters and bystanders. British soldiers shot dead 13 men and injured 14 others, while protesting against internment. The soldiers involved were members of the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. There were two investigations held by the British government. The Widgery Tribunal, held in the immediate aftermath of the event and The Saville Inquiry, later created to re-investigate the incident. The Widgery Tribunal cleared the soldiers and British authority of blame. Widgery described the soldiers shooting as bordering on the reckless but was criticised as a whitewash. The Saville inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, was established in 1998 to re-investigate the events. After 12 years, Savilles report was made public on 15th June 2010. The report contained findings of fault that could re-open the controversy, and potentially lead to criminal investigations for some soldiers involved in the killings.

1974: Birmingham Bombings,

The Birmingham pub bombings occurred on 21st November 1974 in Central Birmingham. Two pubs, the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern In The Town were targeted with time bombs. Warnings were sent to the pubs but they were not evacuated in time. The IRA were widely and immediately blamed for the bombings, even though it denied all responsibility. A small militant group called Red Flag 74 claimed the attack, but police treated this with skepticism. As the IRA was believed to be behind the bombings, the attitude yielded a wave of anti-Irish sentiment and attacks on the Irish community in Great Britain. A few days after, the British Government swiftly introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Six Irishmen, who became known as the Birmingham Six, were arrested immediately after and in 1975 were given life sentences for the bombings. After 16 years in prison, their convictions were quashed after the court finally acknowledged that the scientific evidence and their "confessions", which had been obtained through violence, were unreliable.