The Proclamation of the Republic, also known as the 1916 Proclamation or Easter Proclamation, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. In it the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, styling itself the "Provisional Government of the Irish Republic", proclaimed Irish independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The reading of the proclamation by Pádraig Pearse outside the General Post Office (GPO) in Sackville Street (now called O'Connell Street), Dublin's main thoroughfare, marked the beginning of the Rising. The proclamation was modelled on a similar independence proclamation issued during the 1803 rebellion by Irish rebel Robert Emmet. Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Irish Citizen Army`s Starry Plough banner. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was a secret fraternal organisation dedicated to fomenting armed revolt against the British state in Ireland in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. ... In the Easter Rising in Dublin on 24 April 1916, the Proclamation of the Republic read by Padraig Pearse was headed and signed as being issued by the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic. The rising lasted five days and only controlled a few occupied buildings. ... Motto Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right)1 Anthem God Save the King/Queen Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English2 Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1820–1830 George IV  - 1830–1837 William IV  - 1837–1901... Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (known as Pádraic Pearse or, in the Irish language, as Pádraic Anraí Mac Piarais) (November 10, 1879 - May 3, 1916) was a teacher, poet, writer and political activist who led the Irish Easter Rising in 1916. ... General Post Office in 2006. ... Daniel OConnell, 19th century nationalist leader, whose statue by John Henry Foley, stands on the street named after him. ... Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 1780 - 20 September 1803) was an Irish nationalist rebel leader. ...

The taking of the GPO

Before reading the proclamation (to the bemusement and some derision from shoppers and passers-by), Pearse and other Republican leaders seized the GPO and made it their military headquarters, flying the new flag of the republic (see image below) from the flag-pole instead of the Union Flag. The green, white and orange tricolour was also flown on a lower flag-pole. The GPO, the Easter Proclamation and the tricolour (which later came to be seen as the flag of the republic, replacing the original green flag, which is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland) are the three most identifiable symbols of the Easter Rising, alongside the leaders, such as Pearse, Tom Clarke, James Connolly and others. Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag (also known as the Union Jack; see discussion below) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ... French tricolour flag A tricolour is a flag or banner having three colours, usually in approximately equal size (horizontally or vertically) and lacking additional symbols. ... Thomas James Clarke (March 11, 1857-May 3, 1916) was an Irish revolutionary leader and was perhaps the man most responsible for the Easter Rising of 1916. ... For the Olympic athlete, see James Connolly (athlete) James Connolly James Connolly (June 5, 1868 - May 12, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and socialist leader. ...

The text of the Easter Proclamation

Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read by Pádraig Pearse outside the GPO at the start of the Easter Rising, 1916.

(The document is headed Poblacht na hÉireann, which is Irish Republic in the Irish language). The Easter Proclamation of 1916. ... The Easter Proclamation of 1916. ... Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (known as Pádraig Pearse or by his Irish name Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais) (November 10, 1879 – May 3, 1916) was a teacher, poet, writer and political activist who led the Irish Easter Rising in 1916. ... General Post Office in 2006. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Irish () is a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland. ...

IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.

Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory.

We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty: six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and its exaltation among the nations.

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 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.

Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National Government, representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.

We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God, Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must, by its valour and discipline and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.

Principles of the proclamation

Though the Rising failed in military terms, the principles of the Proclamation to varying degrees influenced the thinking of later generations of Irish politicians. The document consisted of a number of assertions:

• that the Rising's leaders spoke for Ireland (a claim historically made by Irish insurrectionary movements);

• that the Rising marked another wave of attempts to achieve independence through force of arms;

• that the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizens Army were central to the Rising;

• "the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland", a statement seen by some contemporaries as quasi-socialist and which some conservatives found troublesome (similar assertions in later declarations, notably the Democratic Programme adopted by the First Dáil in 1919, were deleted or toned down);

• that the form of government was to be a republic;

• a guarantee of "religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens", the first mention of gender equality, given that Irish women were not allowed to vote;

• a commitment to universal suffrage, a phenomenon limited at the time to only a handful of countries, not including Britain;

• a promise to cherish "all the children of the nation equally" (though often misinterpreted as referring to Irish children and their rights, it actually meant people of all religions, who were all seen as 'children of the nation').

The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was a secret fraternal organisation dedicated to fomenting armed revolt against the British state in Ireland in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. ... Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Irish Citizen Army, or ICA, is a small band of trained members for the defense of worker’s rights. ... The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ...

The printing and distribution of the text

The proclamation had been printed secretly prior to the Rising. Because of its secret printing by a small printers, problems arose which affected the layout and design. In particular, because of a shortage of lettering, the document was printed in two halves, leading to a proliferation of 'half copies', most of which were destroyed by British soldiers in the aftermath of the Rising. The typesetter lacked a sufficient supply of same size and font letters, and as a result the latter half of the document used smaller es than the rest of the text, a distinctive feature of the document (though only noticed when studied up close). The language suggested that the original copy of the proclamation had actually been signed by the Rising's leaders. However no evidence has ever been found, nor do any contemporary records mention, the existence of an actually signed copy, though had such a copy existed, it could easily have been destroyed in the aftermath of the Rising by someone (in the British military, a member of the public or a Rising participant trying to destroy potentially incriminating evidence) who did not appreciate its historic importance. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

The signatories

The flag of the Irish Republic.
Now on display in the National Museum of Ireland.

One question sometimes raised is why the first name among the 'signatories' was not Pearse but Tom Clarke, a veteran republican. Had the arrangement of names been alphabetical, Eamon Ceannt would have appeared on top. Clarke's widow maintained that it was because the plan had been for Clarke, as a famed veteran, to become the President of the Provisional Republic. Such an explanation would certainly explain his premier position. However others associated with the Rising dismissed her claims, which she made in her memoirs. Later documents issued by the rebels gave Pearse pride of place, though as 'Commanding in Chief the Forces of the Irish Republic, and President of the Provisional Government', ^[1] not 'President of the Republic'. Whether the plan had ever been to have Clarke as a symbolic head of state and Pearse as head of government, or was simply that Pearse was always to be central but with statements ambiguously describing his title, remains a mystery about which historians still speculate. Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) is the main museum in Ireland. ... Eamonn Ceannt (September 21, 1881 - May 8, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and rebel. ...

All seven signatories of the proclamation were executed by the British military (James Connolly who had been wounded in the fighting was executed sitting down in a chair) in the aftermath of the Rising, being viewed as having committed treason in wartime (i.e., the First World War).^[2] British political leaders regarded the executions initially as unwise, later as a catastrophe, with the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and later prime minister David Lloyd George stating that they regretted allowing the British military to treat the matter as a matter of military law in wartime, rather than insisting that the leaders were treated under civilian criminal law. Though initially deeply unsympathetic to the Rising (the leading Irish nationalist newspaper, the Irish Independent called for their execution), Irish public opinion switched and became more sympathetic due to manner of their treatment and executions. Eventually Asquith's government ordered a halt to the executions and insisted that those not already executed be dealt with through civilian, not military, law. By that stage all the signatories and a number of others had been executed. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... The name Herbert Asquith normally refers to: Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1908–1916), but may also refer to his son: Herbert Asquith, a poet. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who guided Britain and the British Empire through World War I and the postwar settlement as the Liberal Party Prime Minister, 1916-1922. ... The Irish Independents header consists of its name and a green harp The Irish Independent is Irelands best-selling broadsheet newspaper. ...

The document today

Full copies of the Easter Proclamation are now treated as a revered Irish nationalist icon, and a copy was sold at auction for over €700,000 in April, 2006. A copy owned (and later signed as a memento) by Rising participant Sean T. O'Kelly was presented by O'Kelly, by then President of Ireland, to the Irish parliament buildings, Leinster House, where it is on permanent display in the main foyer. Other copies are on display in the GPO (headquarters of the Rising and the place where the Proclamation was first read), the National Museum of Ireland and other museums worldwide. Facsimile copies are for sale to tourists in Ireland. Copies of the text are often displayed in Irish schools and in Irish pubs throughout the world. Since 2006, the proclamation is read aloud by a member of the Irish Defence Forces outside the GPO during the Easter Rising commemorations on Easter Sunday of each year. Sean Thomas OKelly, Irish name: Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh (25 August 1882 – 23 November 1966) was the second President of Ireland (1945-1959). ... Official Seal of the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the current President of Ireland. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Irish Defence Forces are the army, navy and air force of the Republic of Ireland. ... Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. ...

. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

See also

• The signatories:
  • Thomas J. Clarke
  • Sean MacDiarmada
  • Thomas MacDonagh
  • Padraig Pearse
  • Eamonn Ceannt
  • James Connolly
  • Joseph Plunkett
• Anglo-Irish War
• W.T. Cosgrave
• Dáil Éireann
• Eamon de Valera
• Dublin Castle
• Easter Rising
• Robert Emmet
• Sinn Féin Manifesto 1918
• First Dáil
• Irish Republic (1919–1922)
• Irish Republican Army
• President of Dáil Éireann
• President of the Irish Republic

Thomas James Clarke (March 11, 1857-May 3, 1916) was an Irish revolutionary leader and was perhaps the man most responsible for the Easter Rising of 1916. ... Sean MacDermott (February 28, 1884 – May 12, 1916) was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland. ... Thomas MacDonagh (February 1, 1878 - May 3, 1916) was an Irish nationalist, poet, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. ... Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (known as Pádraic Pearse or, in the Irish language, as Pádraic Anraí Mac Piarais) (November 10, 1879 - May 3, 1916) was a teacher, poet, writer and political activist who led the Irish Easter Rising in 1916. ... Eamonn Ceannt (September 21, 1881 - May 8, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and rebel. ... For the Olympic athlete, see James Connolly (athlete) James Connolly James Connolly (June 5, 1868 - May 12, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and socialist leader. ... Joseph Mary Plunkett (November 21, 1887 - May 4, 1916) was an Irish nationalist, poet, and leader of the Easter Rising in 1916. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the extra-legal Irish parliament... William Thomas Cosgrave (Irish name Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair; 6 June 1880 – 16 November 1965), known generally as W.T. Cosgrave, was an Irish politician who succeeded Michael Collins as Chairman of the Irish Provisional Government from August to December 1922. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann (pronounced ) is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... Dublin Castle. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 1780 - 20 September 1803) was an Irish nationalist rebel leader. ... Sinn Féin Manifesto for the December 1918 election Following its reform in 1917, the Sinn Féin party campaigned against conscription in Ireland. ... The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ... This article is about the historical army of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919–21, and the Irish Civil War 1922–23. ... The head of government under the Dáil Constitution adopted by the First Dáil of the Irish Republic in January 1919. ... This article is about the president of the 1919-1922 Irish Republic Republic of Ireland see: President of Ireland. ...

Footnotes

Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Dublin Castle. ...

Additional reading

• Tim Pat Coogan, Michael Collins (ISBN 0-09-174106-8)
• Tim Pat Coogan, de Valera (ISBN 0-09-175030-X)
• Dorothy McCardle, The Irish Republic
• Arthur Mitchell and Padraig Ó Snodaigh, Irish Political Documents: 1916–1949
• John O'Connor, The 1916 Proclamation
• Conor Kostick & Lorcan Collins, The Easter Rising, A Guide to Dublin in 1916 (ISBN-10 0-86278-638-X)