Defeat of 1916 ideals led to backward society

CRITICS of the 1916 Rising claim that it led to the backward society which followed the civil war.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The 1916 Proclamation and the Sinn Féin Programme of the First Dáil, which was based on it, were very progressive documents and are still relevant (and remain to be implemented) today. The leaders of the Rising were also visionaries.