APRIL 29 - The End of Easter Rising, the death of The O'Ralilly & the birth of a Japanese Emperor
- Christopher Jack
- May 10, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15, 2019
On this day in 1916, the Irish rebellion known as Easter Rising came to an end. The headquarters at the GPO was abandoned when the building caught fire. Commander James Connolly had been wounded and passed command to Patrick Pearse. From his new position at 16 Moore Street, Pearse issued an order for all companies to surrender. Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender in hopes of sparing civilian lives and the lives of his volunteers. Sporadic fighting and skirmishes continued until the next day when word of the surrender finally made it around to all the rebel garrisons. English General John Maxwell was made temporary military governor of Ireland. Over the 6 days of fighting there were at least 485 deaths, including 260 civilians. More than 2,600 individuals were wounded. A total of 3,430 men and 79 women were arrested. 90 people were sentenced to death but only 15 of those sentences were carried out over the next 10 days. Some of the survivors of the Rising went on to become leaders of the independent Irish state and those who were executed became martyrs to the Irish cause. On the 50th anniversary of the Rising, the Irish government issued medals to survivors who took part in the event.
On this day in 1916, Michael Joseph O’Rahilly or better known simply as The O’Rahilly died at the age of 41. Born on 22 April 1875 in County Kerry, The O’Rahilly was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers. His parents were Richard and Ellen (Mangan). He was educated and widely traveled before settling in Dublin. Despite his attempts to prevent the violence when he arrived to join the other leaders of the Rising, he is quoted as saying “Well, I’ve helped wind up the clock--I might as well hear it strike.” On 28 April, the 5th day of Easter Rising, he volunteered to lead a party of men along a route on what is now Parnell Street. British Machine guns at the intersection cute him and several others down. 19 hours after being severely wounded, The O’Rahilly was still clinging to life and it wasn’t until the afternoon of the 29th that he finally succumb to his injuries. The O’Rahilly married Nancy Brown in 1899 and during the marriage they had 5 children, the last of whom was born in July 1916, 3 months after Michael’s death.
Born on this day in 1901, is the 124th Emperor of Japan, Hirohito. He was born in Tokyo’s Aoyama Palace during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Meiji, to Crown Prince Yoshihito (future Emperor Taishō) and Crown Princess Sadako (future Empress Teimei). At 70 days old, he was removed from his family, as is tradition, and placed in the care of Count Kawamura Sumiyoshi. When Hirohito was 3, he was returned to his family when the Count died. On 2 November 1916, he was formally named Crown Prince and heir apparent to his father's throne. In 1921, Hirohito took a 6-month tour of Western Europe, the first Japanese Crown Prince to do so. In late 1921, he became Regent of Japan, taking over the duties of emperor from his ailing father. In 1924, Hirohito married his distant cousin Princess Nagako Kuni (future Empress Kōjun). The had 7 children, including the present Emperor of Japan, Akihito. When Hirohito began his reign in December 1925, Japan was a great power in the world with the 9th largest economy but his early reign was marked by financial crisis and increased military power within government. In September 1940, Japan was a contracting partner of the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. In December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor under Hirohito's orders which drew the US into WWII. In 1945, after the dropping of 2 atomic bombs on his country, Hirohito surrendered After the war, while many called for him to step down, General MacArthur insisted the Hirohito retain his throne to provide Japan with stability. While he was not put on trial for any war crimes, he was forced to reject the claim that the Emperor of Japan was an incarnate divinity. For the rest of his life, Hirohito was an active figure in Japanese life. On 7 January 1989, Hirohito died and was succeeded by his eldest son. Emperor Hirohito is buried in the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Hachiōji, next to his father.
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