106 years ago, on Easter week, the 1916 Rising took place bringing the fight for Ireland's independence to Dublin's streets. How many of these facts did you know?
Wicked Local
Thomas Clarke was the only U.S. citizen to be executed as a result of the 1916 Easter Rising - the most significant uprising in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798.
“Clarke spent a good deal of time in America,” said journalist and historian Dermot McEvoy, “and he eventually became a citizen.”
Clarke is considered the real leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, despite his quiet somewhat meek persona.
“Padraig Pearse was the front man because he liked to make speeches,” McEvoy said. “Clarke worked behind the scenes. He was the man who organized everything.”
The six-day Rising took place during Easter Week 1916 against British rule after members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood Military Council (IRBMC), the Irish Volunteer Force, and the Irish Citizen Army successfully took over pre-selected buildings around Dublin with little resistance.