By ignoring the Irish Volunteers as the government felt they were not much of a threat, the Volunteers were able to conduct their business unhindered. The results of this policy are well documented in the 1916 Easter Rising. Without government interference the rebels were able to plan an uprising to instate their own leader of Ireland and demand Home Rule. During Easter week in 1916, under the guidance of their leader James Connolly, the Irish Volunteers occupied the General Post Office in Dublin and several over key buildings. From the steps of the GPO Patrick Pearse read out the Easter Monday Proclamation which announced the birth of the Irish Republic. However the rebels were overpowered in a week and the Easter Rising was over before it began. Yet it was to have far reaching consequences.
Eager to put down any unrest as quickly as possible as to concentrate on the war, the British response was to enforce martial law on Ireland. All the leaders of the Easter Rising, including Connolly and Pearse were executed by firing squad. This was to be the key factor that turned support from the Home Rule party to Sinn Fein. The execution of the Irish Volunteers aided in part by the harsh martial law that was being implemented across Ireland was met be anger from the Irish people. Most felt that the leaders should be treated as prisoners-of-war and as a result many found it impossible to side with the British authorities who Redmond had mistakenly supported at the beginning of the war by calling all Irish men to fight for them.
Due to its initial support of the volunteers Sinn Fein was most closely associated with the Easter Rising and its popularity soared following the executions. In April 1918 Parliament passed the Conscription Act which allowed Irish men to be called up to the British Army. Following the events of 1916 this was met by almost total opposition across the whole country, and Sinn Fein naturally opposed it. By opposing the bill Sinn Fein was able to unite the country behind them against one single enemy, which they managed to portray as the British Government. The war had provided the opportunity to Sinn Fein to cement their new position as the most influential nationalist party in Ireland. Britain's reaction to this was to outlaw Sinn Fein as they saw it as the best way of implementing their act, something they needed to do quickly to get the men to the front line so they could win the war. However, the outlawing of the party only strengthened the bonds between Sinn Fein and their supporters as Britain was seen in the eyes of many as oppressors unwilling to give people freedom of speech. The British eventually gave way to the barrage of opposition and the Conscription Act was never fully implemented. The Irish people saw this as not only a victory for Sinn Fein, but realised that Sinn Fein was a party that could achieve things.
Throughout the period 1916-1918 the British Prime Minister Asquith was under increasing pressure from America to resolve the Irish problem as America contained many Irish descendants and Asquith was relying on continued American support to win the war. In 1916 Asquith was forced by America to release many Irish radicals from prison which only helped Sinn Fein’s cause. Now America was forcing Asquith to try and find a lasting peace settlement in Ireland, something Asquith was expected to achieve even though his predecessors hadn’t been able to in the last 50 years. Understandably, no agreement was reached in the resulting talks between the main Irish parties – including Redmond’s Home Rule party and Sinn Fein – but it was the way in which Redmond conducted himself in the talk which finally sealed Sinn Fein’s position as the number one nationalist party in Ireland at the time. Leading the talks was Lloyd George who tried to play Sinn Fein off of the Home Rule party in a precarious deal for peace including Irish rule over most of Northern Ireland except the six most strict unionist counties. Redmond readily agreed to this but when Sinn Fein objected the talks collapsed. It was Redmond’s willingness to only accept partial Home Rule when Ireland was demanding total Home Rule that meant he lost what remained of his support, and duly the support of his party. One Irish MP summed up the mood of the time by saying ‘Enthusiasm and trust in Redmond is dead’. Redmond died shortly after the war had ended, powerless.
The key to understanding why Sinn Fein became the more popular party and what role the war played in this is understanding why public mood shifted from being prepared to wait for Home Rule to demanding Home Rule. It was the initial opposition to the war that triggered the events leading up to the downfall of the Home Rule party, in the formation of the Irish Volunteers. The British reaction to the Easter Rising only brought public feelings to the fore and in Sinn Fein the people had found someone who shared their feelings of anger. The war triggered over events such as the Conscription Crisis of 1918 which presented the opportunity to Sinn Fein to harness public opposition to British rule of Northern Ireland. In short, the First World War triggered many events which Sinn Fein used to bolster their support and condemn Redmond’s Home Rule party.
