Dr. Maurice Manning:

What struck me was the input of the local authorities, which we had not factored in during our first meetings. The then Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, with her experience of local government, reckoned that there was great energy in that sector. Most councils had their own cultural officers who were only waiting to be asked to do things. The councils were presented with an entirely new experience of engaging with their people, not about bins or roads but about something that caught their imagination. The second aspect that stands out was the engagement of the people. That Easter Sunday will live in everyone's memory, as will the next day. People attended workshops, visited museums to look at the relics and so on. That engagement and the sense of people being at ease with their own history really stood out for me.