Aspiration and actuality: childhood inequality and the legacy of 1916

Abstract

As we enter 2016, the controversies about how best to commemorate the legacy of the Rising have already begun. Already, various groups have claimed to be the true inheritors of the spirit of Proclamation. However, a closer look at those who were involved in the Rising reveals a disparate group. United as they were in fighting for Ireland’s freedom, the divisions of class, religion, gender and citizenship all contributed to shaping their differing experiences of the Rising and its aftermath.