Three weeks after the war had started in Europe, a meeting was held at which it was decided that Ireland should make use of the European war to rise in rebellion against England. There were eight or nine people at that meeting, including Patrick Pearse, Arthur Griffin, Tom Clark, Sean MacDermott, and Eammon Ceannt.
The British saw the Easter rising as a threat, the British could not afford to fight two wars at the time because Britain was at war with Germany in the first world war. Because the British could not afford to fight two wars they tried to stop the uprising quickly by killing virtually all of the leaders and by doing so they hoped to stop the uprising before it gained more support but they made a terrible mistake in doing so.
The British decided to kill the leaders of the rebellion in public to show their superiority over the few in numbers and weaponry the leaders that were killed are:.
Ÿ Patrick Pearse, MacDonagh, and Clark. (Shot at dawn on may 3rd in Kilmainham Jail Dublin.).
Ÿ Plunket, Daly, O'Hannrahan, and William Pearse were shot in Dublin on the 4th of May 1916.
Ÿ MacBride was shot in Dublin on the 5th of May 1916.
Ÿ Colbert, Ceannt, Mallin and Heuston were shot in Dublin on the 8th of May 1916.
Ÿ Thomas Kent was shot in Cork on the 9th May 1916.
Ÿ Connolly was killed strapped to a chair, and MacDermott was killed in Dublin on the 12th of May 1916.
Ÿ Roger casement was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London on the 3rd August 1916.
With the British doing this there was a new surge in support of the I.R.A with Irish Catholics who were not very interested in the movement, being out raged with the fact that the British killed Irish Catholics with out a fair trial.
"the great bulk of the population were not favorable to the rebels they got no popular support whatsoever. What is happening is that thousands of people in Dublin, who ten days ago were bitterly opposed to the whole movement of the Sinn Fein movement, and to the rebellion, are now becoming infuriated against the Government on account of these executions , and , as I am informed that feeling is spreading throughout the country in a most dangerous degree.
