Archive for April 2010

1916 Irish Easter Rising remembered

April 4, 2010 Comment & Irish History, Irish News & Sport No comments
The Proclamation of Independence

The Proclamation of Independence

The 1916 Irish Rising will be commemorated at a ceremony outside the GPO in Dublin this afternoon, Easter Sunday.

President Mary McAleese and the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Brian Cowen, will be in attendance.

300 members of the Defence Forces and two military bands will honour those who fought in the Easter Rising 94 years ago.

Major preparations are already underway for the 100th anniversary of the Rising in 2016.

It was a pivotal point of modern Irish history and is referred to by all sides in the conflict that has been a continuing burden on the island of Ireland ever since.

Today the GPO (General Post Office) is a fine building that was reconstructed after its near demolition by the British forces in 1916, but they are now talking about moving the Abbey Theatre there or bringing a new theatre to the centre of the town. It is one of the iconic features of modern Dublin and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Maybe they should just leave well alone . . . Elsewhere throughout the country, the Rising is being commemorated by different groups.