On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, a force of Irish men and women under arms, estimated at between 1,000 and 1,500, attempted to seize Dublin, with the ultimate intention of bringing to an end British rule in Ireland and creating an independent Irish republic, to include all thirty-two counties of Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connaught. Their leaders, Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, knew that their chances of success were slight, yet they fought and paid with their lives. But why?

Illuminating every aspect of that fateful Easter week, "The Easter Rising" is based on an impressive range of original sources, and has been fully revised, expanded and updated in the light of almost 2,000 witness statements only released by the Irish Bureau of Military History in 2004. It is a vivid depiction of the personalities and actions of the leaders on both sides, bringing the reader closer to the events than has previously been possible. It provides an exceptional account of a city at war.