Birmingham Salon

Easter Rising 1916 – Heroes or Villains?

Thursday 14th April 2016.
7.30pm at The Victoria, John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BN


Easter 1916, one hundred years ago, Irish revolutionaries rose against the British Empire proclaiming a Republic from the steps of the General Post Office in Dublin. In five days of intense fighting, the men and women of the Easter Rising were defeated by the overwhelming force of the British Army, and their leaders were executed.

But the Easter Rising lit a fire that ended with the entire country turning against Westminster’s rule, and founding a nation.

Kevin Rooney will argue that the Easter Rising was an inspiration to those who were challenging the Empires of Europe – from India to Vietnam, from New Zealand to Moscow. It was an inspiration to British activists like John Maclean and Sylvia Pankhurst, and it was an inspiration to the Irish men and women who rose up against British rule to free their nation.

Kevin Rooney
Kevin Rooney is a teacher and writer, co-author of Who’s Afraid of the Easter Rising? 1916-2016. Kevin first took part in the Commemoration of the Easter Rising in Belfast, 1972.

Recommended Reading:

Recalling the Spirit of the Easter Rising. Spiked Online Book review

Will poking around in the embers of Irish history rekindle old flames? Asks David Reynolds, New Statesman, July 2015.

Remember violence. Don’t glorify it. Argues William Devas, Irish Times, June 2015
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