This year, commemorations are taking place on both sides of the Atlantic to mark the 100th anniversary of the so-called Easter Rising.

On April 24, 1916 — the day after Easter — some 1,600 Irish nationalists rose up against British rule. The rebels had limited support from the Irish public at first, but Irish-Americans across the pond backed their struggle and grasped its significance. One of the leaders of the Easter Rising, Patrick Pearse, read a Proclamation of Independence outside the General Post Office in Dublin that day and specifically mentioned the help the uprising had from Ireland's "exiled children in America." 

The Takeaway talks to Father Oliver Rafferty, a professor of history and director of the Irish Studies Program at Boston College, about the Easter Rising and the role it played in the movement towards Irish independence, and ultimately the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1949.

Boston College is commemorating the centenary of the Easter Rising all year, with two events in March, including an international conference, “Easter 1916: A Terrible Beauty Is Born,” and a concert.