On Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. Assisted by militant Irish socialists under James Connolly, Pearse and his fellow Republicans rioted and attacked British provincial government headquarters across Dublin and seized the Irish capital's General Post Office. Following these successes, they proclaimed the independence of Ireland and by the next morning were in control of much of the city. Later that day, however, British authorities launched a counteroffensive, and by April 29 the uprising had been crushed. Pearse and 14 other nationalist leaders were executed for their participation in the Easter Rebellion and were held up as martyrs by many in Ireland. Armed protest continued, and in 1922 most of Ireland won independence with the declaration of the Irish Free State. Six northern counties of the island remained part of the United Kingdom, and some nationalists reorganized themselves into the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to continue their struggle for full Irish independence. Sally Rolls Pavia <mailto:sallypavia2001@yahoo.com> sallypavia2001@yahoo.com "Those who dislike the cat . were in a former life, a rat." List Owner: <mailto:GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com> GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: <http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"