An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | The Maritime by LT CDR CAOIMHíN MAC UNFRAIDH, NAVAL HQ I n a military sense, the out- come of the 1916 Rising was never truly in doubt. This was not only, or even primarily, be- cause of the mismatch in combat power between the opponents but due to the british command of Ireland's seas, which meant they could reinforce their positions in Ireland at will and ensure that their troops would be resupplied continuously. The Rising's leaders were aware of this and their decision to proceed with the Rising nonethe- less is what makes its sobriquet of the 'Poets' Rebellion' quite apt. Although sometimes used pejoratively, to suggest a sentimental ignorance in the military planning of the Rising, the title 'Poets' Rebel- lion' is also a shorthand acknowledgement that the Rising relied upon a revolutionary aspiration for the possibility of its success, rather than a sound appreciation of the military realities. Since British command of the sea could not be challenged, the only military outcome pos- sible was a tactical, temporary success on land. What would have fol- lowed is outlined by Alfred T Mahan's (near contemporary) strategic naval theories; when the enemy has no fleet, he writes, "the noiseless, steady, exhausting pressure with which seapower acts, cutting off the resources of the enemy while maintaining its own, supporting war in scenes where it does not appear itself…and striking open blows at rare intervals' leads ultimately to the enemy's defeat." Full mobilisation of the Volunteers, unified command and the ele- ment of surprise could have resulted in the British temporarily losing control of most of Ireland, but without the means to challenge British dominance at sea, the positions could not have been held. Many of the northern ports would surely have been protected by the union- ist UVF for British reinforcement. Nor, lacking the political build-up that preceded the War of Independence –a build-up that, itself, was largely a result of the Easter Rising– would any initial enthusiasm have been enough to sustain the backing of the population in the face of naval blockade and invasion. True realization of our island status often occurs only when at- tempting to export or import commod- ities, especially when those commodi- ties are contraband. Their gun running had already brought home to the lead- ers of the Rising the crucial importance of sea lines of communication. This was a lesson identified, but rarely learned, by Irish leaders throughout history, especially since lead, powder, firearms and canon became essential to the assertion of military power. In the early modern period, British domination of the sea around Ireland was less complete than in 1916. The Spanish and the French were able to intervene with significant forces, and did so, for exam- ple, during the Desmond Rebellion (1580), the Nine-Years War (1600) and during the Napoleonic period (1798). The Confederation of Kilkenny, taking advantage of the divisions caused by civil war in England, challenged Britain's naval dominance in Irish waters (an unusual occurrence in our country's history) with Irish naval forces and control of key ports and fortifications. The Confederation was thus able to function as the first national Irish government for nearly eight years (1642-1649) and ensured, through its own seapower, that its lines of communication, its embassies, flow of arms, and funding were maintained with the Continental powers that supported it. It would not be so in 1916. Such a period of Irish maritime capability was long past by then. Even the maritime power of the industrialised German state was shortly to be bottled up and corked by the British after the Battle of Jutland. Limited German naval support was obtained and gun-running ef- forts continued, but the interception of the Aud, with its crucial arms shipment, showed that the Royal Navy was capable of disrupting any such effort with relative ease. The sheer maritime adventure of An Cosantóir March 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | Perspective in the Helga HMS Adventure (1904)

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