The Walrus at work is perfectly correct in his posting above when he states

"I seem to recall reading that the "Easter Rising" was not as popular at the time as legend would have us believe, ..."

Having spent years recruiting, training and arming his volunteers, Pearce saw his efforts and ambitions slipping away from him. The "Easter Week Rising" was initiated to keep the pot on the boil. He (Pearce) knew that it was doomed to failure from the start, he lied to his officers and to his men and knew exactly what retribution could be expected. Before, during and immediately after the events of easter 1916 the rebels were derided by the population of Dublin. It was only the complete and utter mishandling of the aftermath by the British that turned popular opinion through 180 degrees.