Easter Rising and Ireland Under Martial Law, 1916-1921
This series provides access to records from The National Archives related to those who participated in or were affected by Ireland's Easter Rising in April 1916. It also documents the names of civilians and soldiers who were court-martialed in the years following the Rising and British Army and Royal Irish Constabulary search and raid reports, which were created during the War of the Independence as guerrilla warfare spread across Ireland between 1919 and 1921.
Guarding the Ulster & Leinster Bank ruins, Dublin, 1916 © Mary Evans Picture Library
Key facts
1912-1923
Date range
More than
73,000
Images
More than
204,000
Transcribed entries
Source
About this series
This series documents the activities and attempts by the British authorities, especially the military, to counter the growing militarisation of Irish politics from 1912, including the Easter Rising of 1916 and the subsequent War of Independence (1919-1921). The available records include court-martial registers, reports of the events of Easter Rising week, search and raid reports, files of civilians tried by court-martial, and internment camp and prison registers.
The Easter Rising took place in 1916, starting on Monday 24 April and ending on Saturday 29 April. The Rising began in Dublin at the General Post Office with the proclamation of an Irish Republic. Then various locations throughout the city such as Boland’s Mill, Jacob’s Biscuit Factory and the Four Courts were seized by force by members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Cumann na mBan, Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army. Fighting took place in other parts of Ireland as well, such as Ashbourne, Enniscorthy and Galway. The intent was to ignite a rebellion in Ireland against British rule and establish an Irish Republic. The rebels, as the British Army labelled them, took advantage of the fact that, with the outbreak of the First World War, the number of British soldiers in Ireland was greatly reduced. Fighting persisted across the country but was mostly focused on Dublin throughout the whole week. Thousands of reinforcements for the British Army were brought into Ireland. An unconditional surrender of the rebels was reached on Saturday 29 April. The reports from that week reveal that victims of the Rising came from all sides: civilians, soldiers, police and rebels.
Immediately after the events of Easter week, Ireland was placed under martial law. The leaders of the Rising were quickly tried and executed. Thousands of others were arrested and placed in internment camps and prisons. The collection shows the names of the hundreds of people who were detained and interned in prisons in Ireland, England and Wales and tried by court-martial, including the names of prominent nationalists and elected officials. The internment files contain personal letters from prisoners or their relatives testifying to their innocence. Records exist for those who were killed or wounded during the conflict, arrested and held in internment, or tried by court-martial. Additionally, if their home or place of work was searched they may appear in the records.
The records show the efforts of the military and police to discover arms, ammunition and seditious material through thousands of raids. The records additionally detail their search for individuals associated with such groups as Sinn Fein, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Army. The reports contain raids on pubs (such as the Brazen Head), hotels, nationalist clubhouses (such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians), and thousands of homes.
At the time of the Rising, there was little popular support for a rebellion and for an Irish Republic. Many in Dublin opposed the Rising, especially those with relatives in the British Army fighting in the First World War. However, after the events of the week, the execution of the leaders and the British response, republicanism in Ireland grew and by 1918 Sinn Fein won an overwhelming majority of seats in the general election. In January 1919, the elected Irish members gathered and declared an independent Ireland and the Irish War of Independence soon began, ending with a cease-fire and treaty in 1921.
This collection brings together materials from The National Archives and contains several pieces from their series WO 35 (War Office: Army of Ireland: Administration and Easter Rising Records), WO 141 (War Office: Registered Papers Special Series marked ‘sensitive’), and HO 144 (Home Office: Registered Papers, Supplementary marked ‘sensitive’), including:
- Events of Easter Rising week (WO 35/69)
- Raid and search reports (WO 35/70-86)
- Court-martial registers (Military), Dublin, 1920-1922 (WO 35/57-58, WO 35/68)
- Civilians tried by court-martial, 1920-1922 (WO 35/94-131, WO 35/208)
- Court-martial case registers, June 1916-1921 (WO 35/132-137, WO 35/139)
- Internment camps and prisons, 1920-1922 (WO 35/138, WO 35/140-144)
- Courts of inquiry (WO35/145-160, WO35/161-163)
- Sinn Fein activists, A-E (WO 35/206) and F-W (WO 35/207)
- Military operation and inquiries (WO 35/88-89)
- War diaries (WO 35/90-93)
- Claims for damages (WO 35/164-170)
- Communications (WO 35/180)
- Rebel outrages: appreciations and medal awards (WO 35/181)
- Court-martial of Countess Markievicz (WO 35/210-211)
- Registered papers (WO 141 & HO 144)
The full list of archive references included in this series can be downloaded below.
This series documents the activities and attempts by the British authorities, especially the military, to counter the growing militarisation of Irish politics from 1912, including the Easter Rising of 1916 and the subsequent War of Independence (1919-1921). The available records include court-martial registers, reports of the events of Easter Rising week, search and raid reports, files of civilians tried by court-martial, and internment camp and prison registers.
The Easter Rising took place in 1916, starting on Monday 24 April and ending on Saturday 29 April. The Rising began in Dublin at the General Post Office with the proclamation of an Irish Republic. Then various locations throughout the city such as Boland’s Mill, Jacob’s Biscuit Factory and the Four Courts were seized by force by members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Cumann na mBan, Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army. Fighting took place in other parts of Ireland as well, such as Ashbourne, Enniscorthy and Galway. The intent was to ignite a rebellion in Ireland against British rule and establish an Irish Republic. The rebels, as the British Army labelled them, took advantage of the fact that, with the outbreak of the First World War, the number of British soldiers in Ireland was greatly reduced. Fighting persisted across the country but was mostly focused on Dublin throughout the whole week. Thousands of reinforcements for the British Army were brought into Ireland. An unconditional surrender of the rebels was reached on Saturday 29 April. The reports from that week reveal that victims of the Rising came from all sides: civilians, soldiers, police and rebels.
Immediately after the events of Easter week, Ireland was placed under martial law. The leaders of the Rising were quickly tried and executed. Thousands of others were arrested and placed in internment camps and prisons. The collection shows the names of the hundreds of people who were detained and interned in prisons in Ireland, England and Wales and tried by court-martial, including the names of prominent nationalists and elected officials. The internment files contain personal letters from prisoners or their relatives testifying to their innocence. Records exist for those who were killed or wounded during the conflict, arrested and held in internment, or tried by court-martial. Additionally, if their home or place of work was searched they may appear in the records.
The records show the efforts of the military and police to discover arms, ammunition and seditious material through thousands of raids. The records additionally detail their search for individuals associated with such groups as Sinn Fein, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Army. The reports contain raids on pubs (such as the Brazen Head), hotels, nationalist clubhouses (such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians), and thousands of homes.
At the time of the Rising, there was little popular support for a rebellion and for an Irish Republic. Many in Dublin opposed the Rising, especially those with relatives in the British Army fighting in the First World War. However, after the events of the week, the execution of the leaders and the British response, republicanism in Ireland grew and by 1918 Sinn Fein won an overwhelming majority of seats in the general election. In January 1919, the elected Irish members gathered and declared an independent Ireland and the Irish War of Independence soon began, ending with a cease-fire and treaty in 1921.
This collection brings together materials from The National Archives and contains several pieces from their series WO 35 (War Office: Army of Ireland: Administration and Easter Rising Records), WO 141 (War Office: Registered Papers Special Series marked ‘sensitive’), and HO 144 (Home Office: Registered Papers, Supplementary marked ‘sensitive’), including:
- Events of Easter Rising week (WO 35/69)
- Raid and search reports (WO 35/70-86)
- Court-martial registers (Military), Dublin, 1920-1922 (WO 35/57-58, WO 35/68)
- Civilians tried by court-martial, 1920-1922 (WO 35/94-131, WO 35/208)
- Court-martial case registers, June 1916-1921 (WO 35/132-137, WO 35/139)
- Internment camps and prisons, 1920-1922 (WO 35/138, WO 35/140-144)
- Courts of inquiry (WO35/145-160, WO35/161-163)
- Sinn Fein activists, A-E (WO 35/206) and F-W (WO 35/207)
- Military operation and inquiries (WO 35/88-89)
- War diaries (WO 35/90-93)
- Claims for damages (WO 35/164-170)
- Communications (WO 35/180)
- Rebel outrages: appreciations and medal awards (WO 35/181)
- Court-martial of Countess Markievicz (WO 35/210-211)
- Registered papers (WO 141 & HO 144)
The full list of archive references included in this series can be downloaded below.
Minutes from the Chief Secretary's Office for Ireland regarding civilians tried by courts martial (The National Archives, WO 35/100/14)
A letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs from the file ‘Criminal activities of Francis Breen, an Irish Republican sympathiser’ (The National Archives, HO 144/20092)
Petition by Thomas Ashe, sentenced to death by the court martial in Dublin for armed rebellion and commuted for life imprisonment (The National Archives, HO 144/1459/316398)
From the Archive
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Editorial Board
This landmark series offers comprehensive coverage of the British response to this formative period in Irish history, providing researchers with a unique opportunity to examine the lived experience of martial law in depth.
Dr Brian Donovan
Strategic Growth Lead and Historian