Dividing Ireland: World War I and Partition

132 THE EASTER RISING AND AFTERMATH
trained state, would be unable to bring any considerable military
operation to a successful conclusion without help from an external
source. Even their plan for dealing with an insurrection in Dublin
depended upon relief coming, or a diversion of British forces being
brought about by the end of a week, or at most ten days, after
hostilities began. Moreover, when it was considered that their
forces were spread out all over Ireland and were in contact with
larger British forces, the IRB had decided that it would be
impractical to prepare a general mobilisation for concentration on
any given point. Therefore, while hoping for the co-operation of
German forces and supplies, but being in complete ignorance of
the form that co-operation might take, the number of forces sent
to assist, the place of landing, or the ultimate objective, the IRB
had come to the decision that there were three things they could
immediately set about:
1 The reinforcement of the (German) landing forces both with
trained and untrained Volunteers.
2 The disruption of the means of transport where it might be
used by the British, at strategic points.
3 The seizure and occupation of the capital city of Dublin, the
arrest of British officials and military officers, the placing of a
guard over the banks and British commercial interests and if
possible the installation of a military Governor.
It followed from the state of British forces, argued Plunkett, that
Ireland could be taken by a coup de main; with the Irish Volunteer
forces reinforcing an invading German army by causing transport
disruption, the blowing up of already-selected railway points,
bridges, canals and viaducts, as well as the prearranged taking of
the capital. Plunkett claimed that these plans allowed the project
to ‘assume the appearance of feasibility’ as far as the internal
campaign was concerned. He envisaged German forces, with arms
for 40,000 Irish Volunteers, coming up the Shannon and
disembarking at Limerick, a city with large food resources. The
British forces there, if indeed there were any at present, were only
a few hundred, entailing no necessity for any military blow to be
struck there. Messengers in motor cars would immediately leave
with news of the invasion and in a few hours Dublin’s Irish
Volunteers would know of it and an all-Ireland signal would be
given. The Irish Volunteers and a ‘large number of the population
of Kerry and Clare’ would be the first to arrive at Limerick and
offer their services.