The unmilitary appearance of the 1916 rebels

This chapter explores the self-presentation techniques of rebels in the 1916 uprising in Dublin. I use witness accounts, photographs and documents from the period to consider how the rebellion was embodied. As events unfolded on the streets of Dublin, the military strategy of the insurgents altered; they went in and out of uniform as the situation demanded it. But this was not an isolated instance of improvised soldiering. The image of the urban guerrilla warrior that emerged on the streets of Dublin in 1916 later inspired revolutionary groups in other regions, particularly with the rise of separatist militancy in the 1930s.