Joseph Plunkett was the primary planner of the Rising, and the objective was that the Volunteers and Citizen Army would seize strategic buildings throughout Dublin in order to cordon off the city and resist the coming attacks by units of the British army. The Volunteers’ plan had two elements: first, to prevent British access to … Read more
Francis Wheatley’s painting of the Irish House of Commons in 1780 is well known and has been reprinted many times. It celebrates the occasion of Henry Grattan’s speech during the debate on the rights of the Irish parliament in the spring of 1780. The painting provides a striking visual record of an important political event … Read more
The timing of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising was significant. As taoiseach, Seán Lemass was anxious to secure Ireland’s future within the European Economic Community (EEC) and had attempted to improve relations with both Britain and Northern Ireland. He constantly brought to the fore images and references to ‘modern’ Ireland so that the … Read more