O'Brien and others asserted that the Rising was doomed to military defeat from the outset, and that it failed to account for the determination of Ulster Unionists to remain in the United Kingdom.
Cruise O´Brien og andre påstod, at opstanden var dømt til militært nederlag, og at dens tilhængere ikke forstod Ulsters unionisters stålsatte beslutsomhed for at blive i Det Forenede Kongerige.