2016, Centenary of the Irish Revolution

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Bloody Easter’, this uprising had a profound impact on the country's history. Throughout the 19th century, Ireland was hit hard by terrible famines, caused by the loss of potato crops in 1845 and 1847, resulting in nearly a million deaths and twice as many emigrants.

Anti-British sentiment grew stronger, and in 1916, a general uprising was fomented by the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen Army. These nationalist forces, led by Patrick Pearse in particular, stormed strategic buildings in Dublin.

Patrick Pearse then proclaimed the “Irish Republic”, Dáil Éireann in Irish, which began with these few lines: ‘The Provisional Government of The Irish Republic to The People of Ireland. Irishmen and Irishwomen, In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom...’. This marked the beginning of the conflict, which did not end until 1921, when the partition and the Republic of Ireland were established.

The centenary of the Easter Rising of 1916 is being celebrated in Brittany, particularly at the University of Western Brittany (UBO), to highlight the deep ties that unite the Celtic countries. The commemorative evening organised by the Centre for Breton and Celtic Research was attended by the Comptoir Irlandais.