From Behind a Closed Door: Secret Court Martial Records of the 1916 Easter Rising
by Brian Barton
Category: History

Following the suppression of the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, the British Army court-martialled almost 200 prisoners. Around ninety of them received death sentences, but the death penalty was confirmed only for the fifteen men considered to be the leaders. All fifteen were executed. Until 1999, official British records of these fifteen trials were kept a close secret, and in 2001 further material was released, including the trial of Countess Markievicz and important evidence about the shoot to kill tactics used by the British Army. These records, the subject of heated speculation and propaganda for over eighty years, are clearly presented in this important new edition of From Behind a Closed Door, containing previously unpublished material from archive sources, such as the Bureau of Military History witness statements. The complete transcripts are all revealed, together with fascinating photographs of the Rising, the fifteen leaders and the key British players. Brian Barton incisive commentary explains the context of the trials and the motivations of the leaders, providing an invaluable insight into what went on behind closed doors at a defining moment in Irish history.