Irish sacrifice

Illuminating every aspect of the fateful Easter Week, this book provides the first synthesis of this seminal event in 20th Century Irish history to appear in over a generation.

More comprehensive, and adhering more closely to events than any account previously written, this important treatment of the 1916 Easter Rising draws on an impressive range of hitherto unused primary sources, some closed to the public until recently, while others, long available, have been neglected by historians.

Following an evaluation of the roots of the Rising, the authors then present portraits of the leaders and their motives, plans and objectives.

They challenge the traditional interpretation that these leaders expected military failure, motivated by a desire to provide a "blood sacrifice" and hoping thereby to rejuvenate Irish nationalist sentiment.

Letters, diaries and personal accounts of participants and eyewitnesses complement the wealth of previously unpublished material drawn from the major archive centres Ireland and Great Britain.

John Phillpott