Ireland was yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, a rebellion against British rule that paved the way for independence, with the largest commemorative events in the country’s history.
The rebels who seized buildings across Dublin and proclaimed an Irish republic on Easter Monday 1916 were to be honored by a 4.4km parade through the capital for hundreds of thousands of spectators.
An army officer was scheduled to lead a ceremony with a reading of the 1916 proclamation, which declared “the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland” at the General Post Office, rebel headquarters during the revolt.
Photo: Reuters
Irish President Michael D. Higgins, who was to lay a wreath at the office, said the country had come a long way in the past 100 years.
However, he said Ireland was still working to build a truly inclusive republic, adding: “We can see that in many respects, we have not fully achieved the dreams and ideals for which our forebears gave so much.”
The wreath-laying would be followed by a minute’s silence to remember the hundreds of people who died during the six-day rebellion, among them the 16 leaders who were executed.
About 5,000 relatives of the rebels have been invited to the parade, which is to be shown on large screens around Dublin.
The uprising began on April 24, 1916, when more than 1,000 militants took over prominent buildings in the city center.
Britain sent reinforcements and began shelling the city, and rebels were forced to abandon their headquarters, eventually surrendering on April 29, 1916.
Thousands were arrested over the uprising, but the response caused outrage and a surge in support for Irish independence. Within six years, Britain had agreed to the creation of an independent nation, although without the northeastern part of the island, which still remains part of the UK as Northern Ireland.
The Rising “gave people the courage to believe we could achieve total independence,” Eamon O’Cuiv, deputy leader of political party Fianna Fail and grandson of 1916 rebel Eamon de Valera, told reporters.
On an island where political violence is hardly a distant memory, the anniversary has prompted debate over how best to mark the armed nature of the uprising — an aspect that was controversial in 1916 and remains so today.
Events are to take place to remember the British soldiers who died, as well the civilians and rebels killed, with the government stressing the importance of “inclusivity.”
However, Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, the leader of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said in January she would not attend any events commemorating “a very violent attack on the state.”
The British-ruled province, once plagued by sectarian violence, is on fresh alert this weekend, after police warned that militants were planning to mark the centenary with attacks on police and army targets.
British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers welcomed Dublin’s efforts to ensure the Rising was marked “in ways that are inclusive and designed to promote reconciliation.”
British Minister of State for Europe David Lidington added that the centenary was “a time to reflect on Britain and Ireland’s shared, often painful history and to give thanks for our friendship of equals today.”
For some Irish, the diplomatic approach has gone too far. Controversy ensued when a large commemorative banner was unveiled along the parade route in Dublin, depicting four historical figures from a political tradition that opposed rebellion.
James Connolly Heron, the great-grandson of Edinburgh-born rebel leader James Connolly, told reporters that it was important to remember the rebels’ unique contribution.
“We end up commemorating all who died, when in fact we should be commemorating those who died for Irish freedom,” he said. “This is the event that led to the freedoms that we enjoy today, it’s a pivotal moment in history.”
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