Question claim IRA provoked the British

RYLE DWYER writes that Pearse “had no authority from the Irish people for the Easter Rebellion” (Irish Examiner, July 30). How exactly does one obtain authority for a rebellion against an occupying force?

Perhaps Pearse should have put it to a plebiscite, advertising in the newspapers of the day, with something along the lines of: “Secret rebellion planned for Easter weekend in the cause of an Irish republic. Please indicate if you approve by return of post not later than Friday next.”

In this context, it is instructive to recall the experiences of Vonnie Munroe and her Dunnes Stores colleagues when they decided to protest against apartheid in South Africa. Immediately suspended from their jobs, they also had to endure a public backlash.