Ireland's Easter Rising of 1916 is one of the handful of modern historical events that instantly created its own mythology and changed millions of lives forever. Charles Townshend's book re-creates this time when, as Irish insurgents rose up and occupied Dublin, as British artillery retaliated ferociously and flattened the city center, as the last haggard rebels surrendered and their leaders were shot, a narrative was born and Ireland was launched into a new world. Easter 1916 reveals an Ireland polarized, confused, and fearful, hovering on the brink of war between Nationalists and Unionists, and presenting Britain with a seemingly insoluble problem. --From publisher's description.
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