Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he is taking to commemorate 1916 during the year of the Gathering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12995/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Arranged by the Minister for Defence, the annual commemoration of the Easter Rising will be held at the General Post Office on Easter Sunday and the annual commemoration at the church and graveside of the executed leaders at Arbour Hill will take place on Wednesday, 8 May. The decade of centenaries programme is committed to following the historical timeline of the period 1912-1922. Therefore, commemorative initiatives in 2013 are focused primarily on the events of 1913, including the passing of the Third Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons, the 1913 Lock-out and later in the year the centenary of the founding of the Irish Volunteers. I am working with ministerial colleagues, the Defence Forces, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, national cultural institutions and academic and community partners on the programme of events for this year. The events of 1913 are of tremendous importance in understanding the revolutionary period and presenting the Easter Rising in context.

To ensure that the State produces a comprehensive, inclusive and authentic programme of commemorations an expert and independent advisory group on commemorations has been established, chaired by Dr. Maurice Manning. The group will commence a national consultation process on commemorations shortly with a series of meetings in regional centres at which they will seek suggestions and contributions from individuals and groups on commemorations in the decade of centenaries.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I am content.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I am unsure. Has the Minister organised events this year for The Gathering with regard to 1916 or will he wait until 2016 to organise events?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Defence organises the main event which takes place every year on Easter Sunday. The event is open to everyone and takes place on O'Connell Street. Representatives attend from all political parties North and South. The annual event was initiated in 1996 and it has proven to be very successful since then. It is a dignified occasion. The families of the 1916 leaders attend and the event is run to a high standard. There is an event to commemorate the execution of the leaders as well. This is a Government event and this year it will be held on Wednesday, 8 May in Arbour Hill.

This year the focus will be on the Dublin Lock-out and the founding of the Irish Volunteers in November. We will follow this timeline but the event on Easter Sunday will ensure that 1916 is commemorated appropriately. Obviously, there will be other events throughout the country as well.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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It represents a missed opportunity not to have organised more around The Gathering. The birth certificate of the State dated 1916 is something we should be commemorating throughout the year of The Gathering.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The main event will be on Easter Sunday. We are making preparations for the commemoration of 1916. There will be extensive and considerable focus on 1916 commemorations. There has been no demand for a continuous commemorative programme for 1916 during the year of The Gathering but it is important that the events we are organising are done properly and this has been the case since 1996.