Rebels: The Irish Rising of 1916

``Surely Christ never died for this people!'' moaned labor leader James Connolly as mobs looted Dublin during the abortive 1916 Irish uprising against British rule. Connolly, a Scottish-born Marxist, and a handful of fellow rebels understood they might be signing their death warrant when they proclaimed Ireland an independent republic amid the chaos of WW I. In De Rosa's ( Vicars of Christ ) spellbinding epic narrative, studded with a cast of some 50 principal characters, the insurrection unfolds with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. The ending is foreshadowed when arms-runner Sir Roger Casement, a former British consular official, piloted a German submarine to Irish shores. This stunningly dramatic, lyrical work (including a list of dramatis personae) helps one fathom the depths of the Irish passion to eject the British from Ireland. Events encompass enough intrigue, espionage, secret missions, heroism and suspense to fill several international thrillers. Photos. (Mar.)