I am offering this synopsis of the lead up to the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 at Joe Offer's request.
In 1171 Henry II King of England declared himself Lord of Ireland. From that time until the Good Friday agreement was ratified by referenda in 1998 the claims of England/Britain to rule any part of Ireland was never freely conceded by the Irish.
Many, many times during those eight centuries the Irish took up arms to assert their right to self determination. Each insurrection was brutally surpressed and aggressive laws were enacted by the Crown to coerce the Irish into submission. With the failure of the 1798 Rebellion, the Irish parliament was abolished and Ireland was ruled directly from London
With the supression of the Fenian Rising in 1867 some of the leaders began to focus on political agitation rather than armed revolt, and one of the key demands was for Ireland's parliament to be re-established and for Ireland to return to Home Rule.
HOME RULE BILL
After the 1910 British General Election the Irish Parliamentary Party led by John Redmond, held the balance of power in the House of Commons and their price for supporting the Liberals in government was a Home Rule Bill. The Liberals conceded and Home Rule for Ireland was to become law in 1914.
RELIGIOUS DIVIDE
The 1911 census of population for Ireland records that 73% were Catholic and 24% were Protestant and while it would be simplistic and wrong to suggest that all Catholics were for Home Rule and all Protestants against. it would be fair to say. in general. that support for the Home Rule was very high amongst Catholics, but was opposed by the majority of Protestants (especially so in Ulster).
ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE
For many Ulster unionists Home Rule was regarded as being tantamount to Rome Rule. Carson and Craig, leaders of the unionists, organised a campaign in opposition to the Bill and called for a volunteer militia force of Orangemen and Unionists pledged to resist Home Rule in arms if necessary. In early 1912 the Ulster Volunteers Force was formed and in short time grew to 100,000 men. It was the avowed aim of this force to resist by every means including armed revolt any attempt by their government to enact Home Rule for Ireland.
CURRAGH MUTINY
In early 1914 intelligence services reported that the UVF were plotting to seize arms and ammunition from the arsenal in Carrickfergus. In March when it became apparent that the government was about to order the army to intervene sixty British Officers at the Curragh Camp (the main base for the British Army in Ireland) threatened to resign their commissions if they were ordered to take action against the UVF. This threat forced the Secretary of State for War, Col Seely, to guarantee that the army would not be used in Ulster. The position that the officers involved were not guilty of mutiny is an argument based on semantics in that it contends that they threatened to resign BEFORE they had received a direct order to act against the UVF.
LARNE GUN-RUNNING
In late April 1914 the UVF smuggled 25,000 rifles and 4 million rounds that they had procurred from the German Empire into Larne. The military and civic authoritys were aware of the landing, but took no action against the gun-runners.

The failure on the parts of the British establishment including; the cabinet, the military high-command, the civil authorities and the police to take any steps to curtail the illegal actions of the UVF was what brought nationalists to the realization that Home Rule would not be won without a fight.