Reading Rebellion: The 1916 Easter Rising in the Catalan-language Press

Catalonia and Ireland are often mentioned in debates regarding sovereignty and how independence is claimed. Nevertheless, the reception of the 1916 Easter Rising by the contemporaneous Catalan-language press has not been documented and both the subsequent interpretation of the events and the impact on Catalan politics remain understudied. To illustrate the varied commentary and criticism across different sections of society, this article explores the presentation and interpretation of the Easter Rising in Catalan-language news outlets. The article focuses first on major newspapers in Barcelona, before turning to smaller publications beyond booming cities or within specific ideological and cultural camps, and then addresses the Catalanophone world beyond Europe. This article underscores how the Rising was quickly appropriated by different entities across the political spectrum in order to advance their own agendas within the Catalan-speaking world.