How did the British response to the Easter Rising change Irish public opinion?

Although the Easter Rising was initially unpopular with the majority of the Irish public, the British response fundamentally shifted national sentiment. Following the surrender of the rebels, British authorities court-martialed and executed 15 of the uprising's leaders, including Patrick Pearse.12

These executions triggered a wave of public revulsion against British rule and transformed the executed leaders into martyred heroes. This backlash catalyzed a significant groundswell of support for republicanism, effectively reversing the political fortunes of moderate nationalists like John Redmond and his Irish Parliamentary Party.123

In the aftermath, the Sinn Féin party, which had previously held little influence, became the primary vehicle for extreme nationalist sentiment. This shift in public opinion culminated in the 1918 general election, where Sinn Féin won a decisive majority of Irish seats in the British Parliament, setting the stage for the Irish War of Independence.13