We have plenty of those. It hurts my head just to think of them all.
The idea of a heroic stand is at root a Romantic one, and the trouble with the 1916-ers is that, to a man, they were Romantics, and valued the ideal over the nasty, messy reality that their descendents had to - and still have to - deal with.
I mean, read some of Pearse's poetry. Or rather, don't. It's like looking at really disturbing picture, the kind of one that you think, if you just find the right angle to view it from, it'll make sense... but it doesn't.
I'll opine from my limited understanding that the Scots had more justification for Culloden - which in its scale is the greater tragedy - than the Volunteers had for '16. The true tragedy of 1916 is not the deaths that resulted from it, but the fact that it completely destroyed the possibilty that independence could have been achieved without violence.
Because it was possible. Never likely, but... possible. And 1916 killed that possibility stone dead.
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We have plenty of those. It hurts my head just to think of them all.
The idea of a heroic stand is at root a Romantic one, and the trouble with the 1916-ers is that, to a man, they were Romantics, and valued the ideal over the nasty, messy reality that their descendents had to - and still have to - deal with.
I mean, read some of Pearse's poetry. Or rather, don't. It's like looking at really disturbing picture, the kind of one that you think, if you just find the right angle to view it from, it'll make sense... but it doesn't.
As for the summary, I spent three years studying modern Irish history. My old teacher would be very miffed with me if I couldn't write a concise précis on the Rising at this point. :-)
I'll opine from my limited understanding that the Scots had more justification for Culloden - which in its scale is the greater tragedy - than the Volunteers had for '16. The true tragedy of 1916 is not the deaths that resulted from it, but the fact that it completely destroyed the possibilty that independence could have been achieved without violence.
Because it was possible. Never likely, but... possible. And 1916 killed that possibility stone dead.
Enjoy dinner :-).