© Defence Forces.
The Easter Rising of 1916 was a very important event in Irish history. It was planned in secret by the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). The rising began on Easter Monday, 24th of April 1916, when Patrick Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office (GPO) on O'Connell Street in Dublin. Seven leaders signed the Proclamation. They were Tom Clarke, Séan MacDiarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, Pádraig Pearse, Éamonn Ceannt, James Connolly and Joseph Plunkett. The GPO was seized, along with several other sites in the centre of Dublin, by Irish Volunteers and members of the Citizen Army. Actions occurred also in Co. Dublin, Wexford and Galway. There was heavy fighting and loss of life, and the insurgents surrendered on 29 April. Sixteen of the leaders of the rising were executed, including all of those who signed the Proclamation. Some went on to continue to fight for Irish independence, which was achieved in 1921.