Proclamation of The Irish Republic 1916
HISTORY
Introduction
This comprehension and writing activity is based around the 1916 Proclamation of Independence.
The students will use photographs and an extract of the Proclamation as a basis to write a
newspaper article, reporting the events of Easter Monday 1916.
Activity ‑ Comprehension
Read the below comprehension and answer the questions that follow it.
The Proclamation of Independence is one of the most important documents of
Irish history. It was hastily printed the night before the Rising in Liberty Hall, Dublin.
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (I.R.B.)
Thomas J. Clarke, Seán Mac Diarmada
and Éamonn Ceannt
On Easter Monday, April 24th 1916, the start of the Rising, Irish rebels stormed
the GPO and used it as their base. The rebels were drawn from various groups
such as; the Irish Republican Brotherhood (I.R.B.) represented in the stamps
shown by Thomas J. Clarke, Seán Mac Diarmada and Éamonn Ceannt; the Irish
Volunteer movement represented by Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett and Thomas
MacDonagh; and the Irish Citizen Army represented by their leader James Connolly.
These seven men were the signatories of the Proclamation of Independence which
declared Ireland a republic. The Proclamation was read out by Patrick Pearse on the
steps of the GPO on Easter Monday. Copies of the Proclamation were then pasted
on buildings throughout the city centre. The Rising lasted for almost a week but
eventually Patrick Pearse issued orders to surrender.
The Irish Volunteer Movement
Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett
and Thomas MacDonagh
An Post’s copy of the Proclamation is one of the few to have survived the conflict
of Easter Week. It is on display in the An Post GPO Witness History Visitor Centre in
the GPO. Extract from the Proclamation:
‘We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to
the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long
usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished
the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people.
The Irish Citizen Army
James Connolly
In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom
and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it
in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the
face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent
State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades in arms to the cause of
its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.
The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman
and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and
equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness
and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children
of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien
Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.
Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a
permanent National Government, representative of the whole people of Ireland and
elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government,
hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in
trust for the people.’
Proclamation of The Irish Republic 1916
history
Questions
1. When did the Easter Rising start and how long did it last?
2. What was the 1916 Proclamation?
3. Why do you think it is such an important document?
4. Who were the seven signatories of the Proclamation and why do you think they signed it?
5. Why do you think copies of the Proclamation were pasted in buildings throughout the city?
6. In your own words describe the right of the people as declared in paragraph one of the
Proclamation extract.
7. In the fourth paragraph of the extract, what action does the Provisional Government state it will take,
until a National Government has been established?
8. The final paragraph of the Proclamation is not included here. Write your own sentence to complete the
Proclamation and compare with the original.
Write about it!
As a class, discuss what information and structure is needed in writing a news article – who, what, when,
where, why, etc. The teacher should make note of these points on a board. Write a newspaper article about
the events at the GPO on Easter Monday 1916. For further information you can check out the ‘1916 Rising’ in
the History Section of www.anpost.ie/historyandheritage
Suggested additional tasks
• Write a historical account of the 1916 Rising
• Write a diary entry from the point of view of one of the signatories
• Write a letter in Irish or a modern language, as one of the signatories on Sunday 23rd 1916, explaining
what you are intending to do the following day and why?
• Organise a visit to the GPO Witness History Visitor Centre www.gpowitnesshistory.ie/visit/
Prepare questions for the visit.
• Enter the An Post Handwriting Competition. Use the writing activity above or get your students to write
their own composition in any genre using either of the themes ‘Proclamation of The Irish Republic 1916’
or ‘The GPO & The 1916 Rising.’ For more information, visit www.anpostschoolbag.ie/competition
Proclamation of The Irish Republic 1916
HISTORY
Curriculum links
History
The students should acquire knowledge and develop an understanding of:
• How the actions and experiences of previous generations have helped influence the world of
their successors
• How elements of the Irish history topics studied fit into a broader international context – the
British dimension
• Students should be able to extract information from source materials to answer historical
questions
• Students should learn to evaluate their historical inheritance through the study of history from a
variety of perspectives
English ‑ Reading
• Read texts with fluency, understanding and competence, decoding groups of words/phrases and
not just single words.
• Use a wide range of reading comprehension strategies appropriate to texts: to retrieve
information; to link to previous knowledge, follow a process or argument, summarise, link main
ideas; to monitor their own understanding; to question, analyse, synthesise and evaluate.
• Understand how word choice, syntax, grammar and text structure may vary with context and
purpose.
English ‑ Writing
• Demonstrate their understanding that there is a clear purpose for all writing activities and be
able to plan, draft, re‑draft, and edit their own writing as appropriate.
• Write competently in a range of text forms using appropriate vocabulary, tone and a variety of
styles to achieve a chosen purpose for different audiences.
• Use editing skills continuously during the writing process to enhance meaning and impact:
select vocabulary, reorder words, phrases and clauses, correct punctuation and spelling, reorder
paragraphs, remodel and manage content.
• Use language conventions appropriately, especially punctuation and spelling, to aid meaning and
presentation and to enhance the reader’s experience.