Invocation of men of 1916 has backfired

THEY were under siege, holed up in the GPO. Outside, the massed ranks railed against them. The constant barrage echoed though the building like the drumbeat of victory.

They kept going, under the guidance of the schoolteacher who saw himself as leader of the Republic. Yet, despite their heroism in meeting history head on, they did not enjoy the approval or confidence of the nation.

They had no authority to set out a vision for the future. But they were fortified by their own righteousness. Still, the barrage continued.