Results 11,241-11,260 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 52 and 166 together. The Easter Rising of 1916 will be commemorated by a military parade in Dublin on Sunday, 16 April 2006. Preparations for the parade, as announced by the Taoiseach last October, are being made by the Defence Forces. Approximately 2,500 personnel representing all branches of the forces together with representatives of ex-service personnel...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: That is not an appropriate question in this regard.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: For a change.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The question is about the celebrations.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: That is not an appropriate question.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: A relevant one for a change.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: For a change.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The question was about the organisation of the 1916 celebrations and I intend to confine my reply to that matter specifically. I outlined already to Deputy Gormley those who will march in the parade. It will be Defence Forces, ex-servicemen, United Nations veterans and members of the police in recognition of their service abroad. As I do not fall into any of those categories, ipso facto I...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I stated that I tried to organise it for this week but due to the Labour Party's spokesperson being unavailable, for understandable reasons, it will take place next week instead.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I am sure people of all persuasions and religious beliefs and none will be able to join in celebrating the sacrifice of the men of 1916. In so far as celebrating the other traditions, we will also have a commemoration for the people who died in the battle of the Somme in the first week of July. The Government will be represented on the annual national remembrance day as usual. I agree with...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I thank Deputy Catherine Murphy for her support and I take her point. As it is unfortunately only a one-day event the military parade will be the centrepiece. Other events will include the wreath-laying ceremony at Kilmainham Gaol. There will also be an opportunity for a social occasion in the afternoon for invitees and relatives of those who participated. We will meet them and they will be...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I have no objection.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I take the Deputy's point. I cannot announce all the events because there is a window of opportunity in the afternoon of the day itself. The parade will take place in the morning followed by a reading of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the GPO. At approximately 7 p.m. there will be a State banquet in Dublin Castle. We had envisaged Government members meeting relatives of the...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: If Opposition parties have other useful suggestions or ideas for what we could do in the afternoon I am willing to take them on board.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: We are going ahead with the meeting next week because while it is the committee's main function to begin planning the centenary in ten years time——

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: We want to give the committee representatives an input into the immediate event. They may come up with some useful suggestions for the afternoon rather than the high-society event. Next week I have a meeting with the President of Liberia and have to visit our troops there and see the situation. People from the Taoiseach's office will chair the backup committee and I will be ably represented...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Yes it will include representative of the Labour Party, Fine Gael, the Technical Group and Sinn Féin. I thank everybody, Deputies Ó Snodaigh and Timmins, representatives of the Technical Group and Deputy Gregory who kindly agreed to change their schedules to be available today. Unfortunately Deputy McManus was not available so I did not want to go ahead in her absence.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I am saying nothing.

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: We are reviving what went before until 1971, an annual celebration the centrepiece of which was a military parade. We have the chance to change it. On the Deputy's suggestion that we do something in addition to the military parade to commemorate the principles underlying the Proclamation, I am open to suggestions. We have a window of opportunity in the afternoon after the military parade and...

Commemorative Events. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: First, my party has no need to reclaim nationalism from anyone. We are the constitutional nationalist party and will continue to be such.