The day before the rising was Easter Sunday, and they were crying joyfully in the Churches "Christ has risen." On the following day they were saying in the streets "Ireland has risen." The luck of the moment was with her. The auguries were good, and, notwithstanding all that has succeeded, I do not believe she must take to the earth again, nor be ever again buried.
An excellent book for those who want to know the effect of the 1916 Easter rising on the average Dubliner. Walking out one morning the author narrates how he saw small groups of people gathered on each corner. They all seemed to be looking in the same direction. He finally stops to inquire what is going on and hears that the Sinn Fein have taken over parts of the city. From there the book recounts his spectator's view of the uprising. The book is not a military or political history so it doesn't cover the planning of the uprising or the responses of the British. Instead the author narrates his observations and the reactions of the people around him as the uprising continues. At first people are in shock and even angry at the insurrectionists. But then, as the days pass and the uprising continues Stephans is puzzled. More and more he notices people smiling. It is only later that he realizes that they are smiling out of pride. If the uprising had been immediately quashed they would have been depressed. However as the fighting dragged on the author recounts the growing feeling of pride that the people began to have for those involved in the futile uprising. All in all a great book for those who want insight into stirrings of nationalism in a people.
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