Irish Volunteers
Quick Summary
The Irish Volunteers were a 20th-century Irish military organization. Formed in 1913, they were initially established to counter the threat of the Ulster Volunteer Force and to support the cause of Irish Home Rule. The organization grew to about 16,000 members and was armed with German weapons smuggled into the country in 1914.12
A faction within the Irish Volunteers, influenced by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, planned an insurrection against British rule. This led to the Easter Rising in Dublin on April 24, 1916. Although the uprising was intended to be nationwide, it was largely confined to Dublin due to various mishaps and the arrest of key figures. The rebellion was ultimately suppressed by British troops.12
The executions of the Easter Rising leaders by British authorities following the rebellion generated widespread public sympathy for the republican cause. This event significantly boosted support for republicanism and contributed to the Irish War of Independence (1919–21), during which the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a successor to the Irish Volunteers, fought against British forces.12
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Easter Rising…the nationalist organization called the Irish Volunteers; the latter had about 16,000 members and was armed with German weapons smuggled into the country in 1914. These two organizations were supplemented by the Irish Citizen Army, an association of Dublin workers formed after the failure of the general strike of 1913,…
Read More…the nationalist organization called the Irish Volunteers; the latter had about 16,000 members and was armed with German weapons smuggled into the country in 1914. These two organizations were supplemented by the Irish Citizen Army, an association of Dublin workers formed after the failure of the general strike of 1913,…
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DublinEvolution of the modern city…volunteer workingmen’s corps, and the Irish Volunteers (a militia partly under the influence of the IRB), a rebellion was launched on Easter Monday, 1916 (see Easter Rising). Leaders of the movement proclaimed an Irish Republic and formed a provisional government. The rebels occupied buildings in the centre of the city,…
Read More…volunteer workingmen’s corps, and the Irish Volunteers (a militia partly under the influence of the IRB), a rebellion was launched on Easter Monday, 1916 (see Easter Rising). Leaders of the movement proclaimed an Irish Republic and formed a provisional government. The rebels occupied buildings in the centre of the city,…
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Eamon de ValeraEarly lifeIn 1913 he joined the Irish Volunteers, which had been organized to resist opposition to Home Rule for Ireland.
Read MoreIn 1913 he joined the Irish Volunteers, which had been organized to resist opposition to Home Rule for Ireland.
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Patrick PearseOn the formation of the Irish Volunteers (November 1913) as a counterforce against the Ulster Volunteers (militant supporters of the Anglo-Irish union), Pearse became a member of their provisional committee, and he contributed poems and articles to their newspaper, The Irish Volunteer. In July 1914 he was made a member…
Read MoreOn the formation of the Irish Volunteers (November 1913) as a counterforce against the Ulster Volunteers (militant supporters of the Anglo-Irish union), Pearse became a member of their provisional committee, and he contributed poems and articles to their newspaper, The Irish Volunteer. In July 1914 he was made a member…
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