The Ulster Museum - Object Of The Month

1916 Proclamation

November

1916 Proclamation

The year 2006 was the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, an event which was to have more impact on Irish history for the rest of the century than any other. The rebellion itself, which began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, has been portrayed as, initally at least, something of a farce. This is reflected by the way in which the Ulster Museum came to have a copy of the Proclamation that was issued on the steps of the GPO on Easter Monday, when a copy was given to a Belfast businessman as he hurried by on his way to a meeting. He returned to Belfast with the copy still in his pocket and, when the seriousness of the implications of the rebellion began to materialise, he offered the poster to the Museum.

It was only when the twelve leaders of the rebellion were executed in Kilmainham Jail that the rebellion began to attract public sympathy and support in Ireland. By 1918, Sinn Fein would sweep to power, creating the circumstances for the partition of the island under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920.

It is thought that only about 30 copies of the Proclamation were issued. There are numerous claims for the authenticity of copies that are false. The secret in distinguishing an original from a forgery is to look closely at the letter 'e' in the last lines of the text: the original printer ran out of 'e's and had to improvise by using a different size.

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