Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Joan Burton, particularly in respect of the major events. I can give a huge list which includes the revolutionary period.

The counter-revolutionary period also needs to be considered. Even though we have said it covers a decade, I have always argued that we should not stop at 1921 - one of the biggest failures in the State -that we should look beyond it and at the international effect the outcome of the First World War had on small nations. We have an opportunity to enrich young people, in particular, with an understanding of where we stood and stand in the world. If we do not plan, we will lose that opportunity. Outside of everything else, anybody who was involved in any of the projects saw the tourism potential for local communities in their local history. There is a huge opportunity for us, but it will be lost unless we sit down and agree on a list of State commemorative events, a list for which we want local authorities to start planning. The fund helps to invigorate them and local communities. Without it, we would have been much the poorer in the commemorations last year. It should not be down to just that, however, but it was a help and there was a successful programme. We will definitely need much of the fund in the next few years to enable people to understand. We will not agree, but we might understand our history better.

See this speech in context