The two sides to 1916 in books

The Easter Rising was not simply a moment in history but a climactic moment in a revolutionary continum that ranged from the suffragette movement to a campaign for pension rights. Noel Baker reads between the lines.

IF EVER a year was in danger of being fast-forwarded into history, it’s this one. With the 1916 centenary commemorations becoming a dominant theme across various media, the nation is already searching its soul for the lessons of that week and the 100 years since.

Invariably, there are competing claims of ‘new perspectives’ on an event which is the alpha and omega of Ireland’s modern history. Two books — Years of Turbulence — The Irish Revolution and its Aftermath’ and The Easter Rebellion 1916 — A New Illustrated History — are among those staking a claim in what is a happily crowded field.