Revisionists don’t want history to get in way of yarn

If apologists for 1916 and Fenian terrorism can remove the scales from their eyes, they will perceive Westminster had wanted to remove itself from any form of direct rule in Ireland from as early as 1913 if not earlier.

British Prime Minister Herbet Asquith (possibly one of Ireland’s greatest political friends) had made it clear to a Home Rule gathering in 1912 his ideal was an Ireland free to choose whether it desired to be constitutionally connected to the United Kingdom or not. However, as John Redmond had discerned, a great change had occurred in relation to Catholic Ireland’s attitude to the Empire and the completion of the Five Irish Land Acts from 1870 more than confirmed his insightful judgment.

Catholic constitutionally nationalist Ireland was becoming comfortable inside the prospect of a Home Rule Union and the separatist Fenian Programme was in deep trouble - hence the decision among Fenian radicals in the 1900’s to resort to the violence that was 1916.