Great stuff in this thread.

Big Tim, it may have been the IRB driving it, but if Connolly and his Irish Citizens Army hadn't joined in, there is a pretty good argument that the Rising would never have happened.

For those not acquainted with this, Connolly was a leader in another group called the Irish Volunteers. He fell out of favor with, and ceased to support it. This was due to most of the volunteers supporting John Redmond's call for a suspension of the Home Rule Act during WW1. Ultimately, after the split, most of these Irish Volunteers ended up with the IRB. But some 11,000 of them, the most radical of the lot, followed Connolly who formed the Irish Citizens Army. Connolly was never one for subtlety, and he took to parading them around in public. At the same time the IRB was planning the Rising and was afraid that Connolly's public shows would draw unwanted attention. The IRB also had problems with having enough committed vol's. It was the bringing of Connolly into the mix which provided the last link needed to allow the Rising to go forward.

Mick