Details Of Easter Rising Commemorative Events Announced

A number of major events are to be held over the weekend as part of the largest ever Easter Centenary programme to mark 100th anniversary of 1916 Rising.

Announcing details of the major commemorative events, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, said that the 2016 Easter Sunday parade and series of commemorative events to be held this weekend, will be the largest ever staged in the history of the State.

The series of State ceremonial events will begin on Easter Saturday, with a ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance, and will culminate on Easter Monday night with Centenary, a TV spectacular to be broadcast at home and abroad, produced by RTÉ in collaboration with the State’s Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

This year’s Easter Sunday Parade will stretch for 4.5km and will involve more than 3,700 members of the Defence Forces, our Emergency Services and Army veterans. RTÉ Reflecting the Rising, in partnership with Ireland 2016, the largest public cultural event to ever be staged in the city centre, will be held in Dublin on Easter Monday.

Minister Heather Humphreys said: "This weekend will be the focal point of our Centenary Year, as we stage our largest ever Easter Sunday parade and a series of State ceremonial and cultural events to commemorate the events of Easter Week 1916, which ultimately led to our independence.

"We are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to come to Dublin city centre throughout the course of the weekend, and we are doing all we can to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy the occasion. People are encouraged to take public transport and to check out all access routes on www.ireland.ie. There will be 22 viewing screens along the parade route on Easter Sunday, with five other setback areas, where families can congregate.

"Each day of the weekend is anchored in a respectful commemorative ceremony, to remember those who lost their lives in the pursuit of self determination and democracy. While Sunday will be a day of solemn reflection, on Monday we will celebrate our Irishness, our diversity and our national identity in an incredible array of artistic, historical and culture events.

"The scale of this weekend’s programme of events is unprecedented, and I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of preparation and hard work which has been done by all arms of the State, including the Defence Forces and the Gardaí, as well as staff working right across Government.

"100 years on from 1916, Ireland is a democracy which has stood the test of time, despite considerable challenges. This weekend we will honour the courage and ideals that characterised the events and people of 1916, while also reflecting on our entire history and the diverse national identity which makes us Irish today."

(MH/LM)