O'Brien believes that the roots of the rebellion started when the British House of Commons introduced a bill that offered limited independence to Ireland but the House would still retain complete power to nullify or amend any laws passed by the newly created Irish House of Commons and Senate. A more immediate event may have been the harbinger of the 1916 uprising by adding fuel to an already burning fire.

William Martin Murphy, an industrialist, conducted a lockout of a number of workers who were participants in the Irish Transport and General Worker's Union (ITGWU). Murphy was worried that a union would lead its workers to demand more and more freedoms. By the time the dispute was over more than 400 employers had locked out over 20,000 workers. The dispute ended six months later when the workers were forced to return to work or face starvation. It was at this...
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