No dilemma over Easter Rising

John A Murphy, emeritus professor of Irish history at UCC, claims that the proponents of the 1916 Rising had no mandate from the general public to take up arms on their behalf.

Prof Murphy, who was speaking at a conference on the Irish Home Rule crisis 1912-1914 in University College Cork, referred to the “inescapable embarrassing dilemma” of 1916 and the cult of bloodshed.

May I remind Prof Murphy that it was British terror in Ireland that had no mandate, and revolutionaries by definition act first then seek a retrospective democratic mandate, which is what was given in the 1918 general election when Sinn Féin received a massive electoral endorsement, winning 75 of the 103 seats. British rule in Ireland was a product of conquest and therefore devoid of moral authority.

It is risible for Prof Murphy to suggest that the Irish State faces an embarrassing dilemma on how to reconcile the Easter Rising and the issue of unmandated force with the democratic process. The right to resist foreign occupation does not necessarily stem from the ballot box.

There is a long established and internationally recognised right of people to resist foreign occupation as expressed in United Nations resolutions 3070 and 3103 .

The general election of 1918 and First Dáil of 1919 legitimised the 1916 Easter Rising. They should be commemorated by the State with openness, dignity and pride.

Tom Cooper

Delaford Lawn

Knocklyon

Dublin 16