January to March, 1916 AD - 1

                                                                                                                   "'Irish Republic Begins - St. Patricls Day Parade "                    

1916 AD January: James Connolly, the socialist Labour leader, who was against "Capitalism" in any form, was originally from the Ulster Province, but he had spent 20 years of his early life in Scotland, where he had witnessed the "harsh living" conditions there under the British Imperial Empire and their "Immoral Union" there, and had also spent another 7 years in "America," where he could see that life could be so much "better" in a Free and Independent society and he had since returned to Ireland, to form the "Irish Socialist Republican Party," to try and bring this result about, and by this date he was more keen then ever to implement an "Irish Uprising" against the continued repression of the British Imperial Government uinder their "Immoral Union" in Ireland. The British Coalition Cabinet was led by Herbert Asquith the former Liberal Party leader, and they were still involved in their "War" with Germany, and James Connolly saw it as a good time for the population in Ireland to finally begin to throw off the chains of the ongoing "oppressive" authority of British Imperialism and as he had around 200 members in his Irish Labour group, who were known as the "Irish Citizen Army," he was by now well and truly chaffing on the bit to take on the might of the British Imperialists and bring  about Irish Independence / Freedom. Those who were in charge of the I.R.B. / Irish Republican Brotherhood, had been made aware of "his" intentions and they wanted to stop him from going it "alone" with only his members from the "Irish Citizen Army," so the I.R.B. Military Council decided to "physically" constrain him for 2 days, during which time they were able to convince him to "join" their committee who were working towards similar ends, and together with Joseph Plunkett, a member of the I.R.B. Council, who was in charge of their "military" operations, he worked on a "joint plan" for their intended 1916 Irish Easter Uprising, which was now to be set down for Sunday, April 23rd 1916.

     Among all of the 15 disaffected Irish groups there were 4 main Irish Freedom groups, who were all now directly involved in trying to bring about the goal of Irish Independence / Freedom, and among these were the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B., the "political" Sinn Fein Party, the Irish Volunteers, and the Irish Citizen Army, who had now managed to "combine" their efforts to try and bring about "Irish Self Determination" in Ireland from the ongoing repression and archaic authority of British Imperialism, and also due to the never - ending repression always carried out on the Irish population by the previous English and British Imperial Governments, there were by now also another 13 smaller "independent" Irish Freedom groups, who also wanted the decandent authority of the British Imperial Government gone forever out of Ireland, who were all operating "separately," while still working towards the same goal. Among these were the "Hibernian Rifles" who were an Irish - American Association, and the "Erin Hibernians," who both were especially more then ready to "assist" the fully committed I.R.B / Irish Republicans, when needed. Patrick Pearse, who was now their "overall" leader was in reality a schoolteacher, a poet and an idealist, who ran the Gaelic Irish language school of St. Enda's at Rathfarnham in the south of Dublin that was named after St. Enda who had been the first monk to set up on the "Aran Islands" to spread the Gospels there. (This school is now a museum to the memory of Patrick Pearse, and his brother, Willy / Liam Pearse who would be also "executed" along with him, just for being his brother by the British Imperial Coalition Government. Patrick Pearse was carrying a heavy burden as he was not only the head of the I.R.B. / Irish Republican Botherhood but also the "Director of Operations" for the Irish Volunteers, while Thomas Mac Donagh (1878 - 1916) another Irish poet, who would be "executed" along with them, was also an I.R.B. member, and the overall commander of the 4 Irish Volunteer's Dublin Brigades. Both of these men were also on the I.R.B. Military Council, and as they were also involved with the Irish Volunteers, they alone had the "numbers" to try and bring about the intended 1916 Irish Easter Uprising, while on the other hand, Eoin Mac Neill, who was the "Chief - of - Staff" of the Irish Volunteers, and Bulmer Hobson who was their Secretary, had their own personal policy of "no violence" against the British Imperial Coalition Government forces, unless the Irish Volunteers were forced to "defend" themselves. The I.R.B. / Irish Republican Brotherhood, had previously made use of the well known public passive outlook of both of these two men in holding down these top level positions in the Irish Volunteers, as their individual personal attitudes of "non - violence" were also known to the British Imperial Government Intelligence services in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre) and this had assisted to allay any threat to their building up the number of the Irish Volunteers to 10,000 members.

January 14th: Michael Collins, who was now 25 years of age, resigned his position with the "Guaranty Trust Company" in London, and returned to Ireland the next day, in the full knowledge that John Mac Dermot / Sean Mac Diarmada and the I.R.B./ Irish Republican Brotherhood were finally getting ready to make their stand against the repressive authority of the British Imperial Coalition Government over Ireland, and on his arrival, he too worked in with Joseph Plunkett on the overall plan for the coming 1916 Irish Easter Rising, who would be one of the "signatories" to the Irish Republican Proclamation, for which he too would pay the ultimate price, when he would be "executed" by a firing squad under the direction of the British Coalition Government, while his two brothers would be "imprisoned," and their father, Count Plunkett and their mother also, would be "arrested" and severely castigated and "humiliated." Michael Collins had also joined the "Keating" branch of the Gaelic League, which was now under the control of Cathal Brugha / Charles Burgess as their "President," while he too waited for the coming action to occur, as did many of the other Irishmen who were by now in the know, who had returned from Britain with the same objective in mind.

February: Eoin Mac Neill, the "Chief of Staff" of the Irish Volunteers, let it be known, that any "military" action on the part of the Irish Volunteers, that might be taken against the British Imperial Coalition Government, would in his opinion be wrong, while on the other hand the militant Irish Nationalist groups of which the I.R.B. / Irish Republican Brotherhood was the strongest under the leadership of the idealist, Patrick Pearse, were not to let this "once in a lifetime" opportunity pass by as all they knew by now was that they wanted to make a strike for Irish Independence / Freedom from the ongoing authority of the British Imperialistic Governments, before their present "War" with Germany was to come to an end. James Connolly, the socialist Labour leader along with his Irish Citizen's Army compatriots, were more then ready to give it a go, and make their own "ultimate sacrifice," as they believed in their hearts, due to the never - ending repression of Ireland and the Irish population that eventually the whole Country would be motivated to folow suite.

March 4th: In America, an "Irish Convention" was also organized on this day by the Clann na Gael / The Organization there, where they also founded "The Friends of Irish Freedom" to assist the Irish population in Ireland in any way they could to finally obtain their goal of Irish Independence / Self - Determination.

March 17th: All of the Irish Volunteer Brigades in Ireland came out in force for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and a little of what was to lay ahead for Ireland under the strong personality of the dour Eamonn de Valera, who was one of their Irish Volunteer Brigade commanders," occurred, when during the march he not only clashed with Sean Fitz Gerald his Vice - Commandant, but also with Michael O Rahilly / The O Rahilly, who were both later to be "transferred" out of his battalion. 

March 19th: The Irish population were also becoming more "restless," as numerous "demonstrations" began occurring, first at the hurling match being conducted in aid of the founder of the Irish Republican Movement, Theobold Wolfe - Tone at the Wolfe Tone Memorial, and another at the "political" Sinn Fein Party hall, were "shots" were fired at the British Imperial Coalition Government's Dublin Castle R.I.C. police, when Sergeant Ahearn from the R.I.C. police there was wounded.

March 20th: Further "demonstrations" occurred also at Tullamore in Co. Offaly in the north - west of Southern Leinster.

March 24th: Augustine Birrell, the British Imperial Coalition's Chief Secretary in Ireland, finally began to realise that things were getting to be a little bit more "serious" among the general Irish population, but he was still convinced that with such a strong British Military Force in Ireland he had the Irish population as usual well under his "control," and to further encure his position, he had Liam Mellowes and Ernest Blythe arrested and "imprisoned" in England, but despite their incarceration, Liam Mellowes was still able to "escape," and made his way over to "America" and later on, during the 1916 Irish Easter Uprising, he was able to "return" to command the Irish National Volunteers in the west of Ireland.

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