1916: W.B. Yeats and the Irish Rebellion

The unsuccessful Easter Rising of 1916 was the first armed insurrection of the Irish Revolution. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in World War I. The Irish poet William Butler Yeats supported the republican cause but opposed violence.  His poem “Easter, 1916” expressed his torn feelings about the rising and the ultimate price the partisans paid to change the course of Irish history: “Now and in time to be / Wherever green is worn / Are changed, changed utterly: / A terrible beauty is born.” Presented by Dr. William M. Chace.  FRIDAY, DEC 2, 2016 at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:15 PM for the wine reception). At the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, 10060 Bubb Road, Cupertino CA 95014.  TICKETS ($30)