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17 March 2016

Easter 1916: An ebook of archive pieces from the New Statesman

A selection of archive pieces from the New Statesman in the years leading up to, and following, the Easter Rising in Dublin.

By New Statesman

To commemorate the centanery of the 1916 Easter Rising, we’ve selected some of the New Statesman’s writing on the events of 1916 for you to read as an ebook.

At the time of the rebellion, the New Statesman had been running for three years under the editorship of Clifford Sharp. The magazine was founded by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, and supported by George Bernard Shaw – whose piece on the “neglected morals” of the Rising is included here – and other prominent Fabians. Its strident 1914 anti-war supplement caused an international sensation.

When it came to the Irish insurgency, however, the Statesman took a more tentative line. The leader which followed the rebellion, for instance, was careful to give a nuanced take on the weekend’s events, positioning the rebels’ actions in a wider political context while remaining cynical as to both their motivations and (limited) achievements. Even after the leaders of the rebellion began to be executed, the New Statesman still maintained a sceptical and plural approach, publishing a piece which argued both non-violent and paramilitary agents for Irish nationalism had acted “according to their lights”.

With its long commitment to covering literary and cultural events with the same seriousness as politics, the archives of the New Statesman also provide insight into the complicated relationship between the two spheres in early twentieth-century Ireland. The pieces contained in this anthology include not only opinions on the Rising itself, but wider thoughts on the literature of the revolutionaries and the Irish press.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
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  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
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  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
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  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
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Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU