The movement for Irish independence before 1916 was a long, tumultuous journey, marked by several key figures and events that helped shape the political landscape of Ireland and set the stage for the Easter Rising of 1916. Published in 1916 and written in the preceding decades, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man includes many references to the movement for Irish independence.

The 19th century saw the birth of the Irish independence movement, which sought to achieve self-rule for Ireland and to break free from British domination. The movement was born out of a deep sense of resentment and anger toward British rule, which had been imposed on Ireland since the 12th century. One of the movement’s most influential figures was Charles Stewart Parnell. Parnell was born in County Wicklow in 1846 and was educated at Cambridge University. He became involved in Irish politics in the 1870s and soon became a leading figure in the Irish National Land League, which was founded in 1879 to fight for the rights of Irish tenant farmers. Parnell quickly gained a reputation as a skilled orator and organizer. He was elected to the British Parliament in 1875 and he soon began pushing for Irish Home Rule, which would give Ireland a measure of self-government while remaining part of the British Empire.