Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I discussed this issue with the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as recently as yesterday. Responsibility for the decade of centenaries programme rests with the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, but my Department and the Defence Forces will play a significant role in many of the events planned for 2016. Two existing annual 1916 commemoration events which have significant Department of Defence and Defence Forces involvement are the Easter Rising anniversary ceremony at the GPO on Easter Sunday and the annual 1916 commemoration ceremony at Arbour Hill.

Following the recent launch by the Taoiseach and the Minister of the programme of events for Easter 2016, discussions are now taking place with regard to the involvement of the Defence Forces in various events. It has already been decided that the ceremonial event at the GPO in 2016 will be followed by a march past involving significant military input. There will also be military participation in a wreath laying ceremony at Kilmainham Gaol. In addition, the Arbour Hill 1916 commemoration will be held on Sunday, 24 April 2016, the centenary of the Rising on Easter Monday 1916. The ceremony will take the form of a requiem mass in the Church of the Most Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7, for those who died in the Easter Rising. This will be followed by a graveside ceremony, including inter-faith prayers. 

As part of the Government's centenary commemoration programme, the Department is cataloguing and partially digitising the military service pensions collection, which is in the custody of the military archives.  The collection contains nearly 300,000 files relating to the period from Easter week of 1916 through the War of Independence and Civil War to the 1 October 1924.  There were two releases of information to date and a further release is planned between now and Easter 2016. The Department is also building a new facility for the archives at Cathal Brugha Barracks to provide modern storage and reading facilities. We will also be involved in other events but I think I have given a flavour of our plans.

See this speech in context