Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to come before the Seanad again to report on the progress of the commemorative programme and the anticipated developments. In our previous consideration, I outlined the principles that would inform the development of the programme. Today, I wish to report on progress and explore some of the considerations for the future.

The year 1913 was a momentous one in Ireland. The established order was directly challenged not only by the continuing Home Rule crisis but also by the assertion of workers' rights in the Lock-out and the suffragette demand for electoral reform. Both the national movement for Home Rule and the resistance campaign in Ulster made preparations for armed action with the founding of the Ulster Volunteer Force, UVF, in January and the Irish Volunteers in November. Between those events, the desperation of workers in Dublin drove them to action that was met with determined suppression. Alongside that, the votes for women campaign continued with protests and demonstrations. Despite the excited condition, one could ask whether anyone could have anticipated how all those issues would be overwhelmed in the next fateful years.

It was with the intention of building an affinity with these troubled times that Century Ireland was launched this month. Supported by my Department, this fortnightly online newspaper is produced in a partnership with Boston College and RTE. At the core of Century Ireland is a collaborative partnership between the major cultural and educational institutions in Ireland. By working so fruitfully together, the various partners are making a range of rarely or never seen material available that will bring the events of a century ago to life. It will present as a continuing stream the news of the centenary period, reporting the headline stories and the off-beat items that sensitise us to the changed times.

The reporting will be supported by a wealth of visual, archival and contextual material to facilitate an understanding of the complexities of Irish life in the years between 1912 and 1923. Change sometimes arrives slowly and without being noticed. Century Ireland will make a special effort to address the less visible but no less significant developments in society. I hope the newspaper will attract a wide readership throughout Ireland and abroad, stimulating interest in the period and encouraging all to join in the commemorations. I was informed by RTE that circulation had reached almost 100,000 in the first week. I am particularly pleased with the use of modern technologies to bring our history to new audiences, especially young people and those without ready access to attend the special presentations at the cultural institutions.

I am grateful to have received the initial statement of the advisory group on commemorations chaired by Dr. Maurice Manning. It emphasises the opportunity that now arises to support and encourage people to engage with their heritage at community and local level. Formal and structured ceremonies will be arranged to commemorate the salient events on their centenaries in the coming years. However, the important element of commemoration is not that historic events are brought to mind but that we seek to enhance our understanding of what happened and the enduring significance of the events for subsequent generations.

Research and education will be at the core of the programme. The initiatives of the universities will be complemented by the development of study modules and resources for schools. The advisory group recently commenced a national consultation process on expectations and arrangements. Following an initial meeting in Carlow, meetings are now being arranged to take place in Cork and Kerry. Meetings are arranged in partnership with local authorities and promoted through local media and the network of local history societies. I am conscious of the essential role of local authorities, schools and the history groups in ensuring the commemorative programme achieves its full potential with wide public participation. County libraries and heritage officers will be at the forefront in presenting and facilitating initiatives.

Although the commemorative programme embraces the totality of our history in the years from the third Home Rule Bill to the emergence of the Irish State, I am conscious of the strengthening interest in particular events and how they should be commemorated, most especially the Easter Rising and the Proclamation of the Republic. This special consideration is not surprising. In a world convulsed by war and with the Home Rule crisis unresolved and deferred, the Irish Republic was born of fire and endured to attract the committed support of the nation. Determined to bring an end to British authority in Ireland that had endured for centuries, it necessarily entailed division with those in Britain and Ireland, especially Ulster, who wanted to preserve the Union enacted in 1800.

The polarisation of communities in Ireland that had been defined during the Home Rule crisis was consolidated and took on an enduring expression.

Notwithstanding this bitter legacy and the memory of the ensuing years of conflict, I believe that we can and should celebrate the Proclamation of the Irish Republic on its centenary in a way that is both sensitive and inclusive.

There is an important distinction to be made between commemoration and celebration. In commemorating the Easter Rising, we would acknowledge the service, sacrifice and achievement of a remarkable group of volunteers, giving expression anew to the aspiration for national independence. This is not done with disregard for the loss of life and destruction consequent on their actions. It recognises the republican movement's belief in the urgent need for forceful and determined action to bring an end to the decline in Irish national identity and well-being. The Easter Rising should not be represented as a spontaneous and isolated military adventure of a type not unfamiliar in the colonial age. It was strongly rooted in the distresses and frustrated aspirations of the 19th century and before. More than simply a resurgence of traditional culture, the Celtic revival is a reaction both to assimilation and modernity. The British Red Cross Association and the St. John's Ambulance assessed the potential of Munster, Leinster and Connacht for war service in 1914 to be based on their having one fifteenth of the population of the United Kingdom and one twenty-eighth of the wealth. It was further recognised that the disparity would be much greater if the measure had been of income rather than wealth.

On the imminent centenary of the Rising, I am confident that all will be able to transcend the sad elements of the history of former times. In this regard, I express my appreciation of the acknowledgement of the republican tradition at Easter by the British ambassador and, more recently, by the Duke of Kent as they laid wreaths at Glasnevin in memory of the personnel of the Rising. I hope that such gestures of reconciliation will inspire all to reflect on the relationships we would build for the future rather than to hold with the divisions of the past.

It has been suggested that the difficulties of current times should have precedence in our consideration, inhibiting the scale and scope of commemorations. I agree that sensitive regard must be had to the challenges we face in restoring order to the public finances and that many people are now struggling to manage their finances. However, the centenary of the Easter Rising is such a significant landmark in our national progress that we must seek to transcend all the issues of the moment and the differences between parties and traditions to ensure the optimal arrangements are put in place for us all to come together in commemoration.

The commemoration of the Easter Rising must not exult in the confrontation, destruction and death that characterised those days in Dublin, accounts of which have endured across the generations in the narrative of the heroic action. The story of the Rising must be told, making use of all available sources and with a sense of genuine enquiry open to new analysis and commentary from unfamiliar perspectives. Issues of recrimination must be left to rest with the passed generations. Our aspiration must be towards a comprehensive consideration of the background, principles and motivation that brings new light rather than heat to the subject and that will enhance our understanding of persons and events.

Similar considerations arise in relation to the commemoration of the First World War. How should we respond now to the catastrophic conflict 100 years ago that brought death and casualties on an unprecedented scale, with more than 50,000 Irishmen killed, and 250,000 taking part in the arms factories in Britain and on the battlefields of France? We should start from remembrance. Throughout Ireland there are families with private memories of lost relatives who passed away without acknowledgement in their communities. This was apparent in the response to the First World War roadshow initiative organised by the National Library of Ireland in the Europeana programme. Privately held records and memorabilia were brought to the library to be digitised for inclusion in a database that can be shared internationally. Public interest exceeded all expectations and a second event was organised in Limerick.

The same abiding commitment has been seen in the dedication of memorials to restore to our consciousness the Irish soldiers who died in the war. Often organised at community and local level, new monuments and publications record the service and losses from Ireland in the terrible war that brought an end to the old order in Europe and the wider world. On the invitation of the council chairman in County Cavan, I was very pleased to participate with Northern Executive Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy, in the dedication of a small memorial in Virginia to the 24 local men who died in the war. The gentle message of acceptance and respect inherent in that memorial testifies to the capacity in commemorations to contribute to the work of reconciliation. The centenary presents an opportunity for us to look again at the extent to which regard for the Irish soldiers of the First World War was affected by the conflict between the Crown forces and the independence movement in Ireland.

Perhaps rooted in the destruction of two world wars and maybe because of events in our own age, concern has been expressed that the commemorative programme should not be dominated by military pageantry. I am confident that most people will agree that the participation of the Defence Forces in commemorations is an important tradition and an important representation of the State on ceremonial occasions. I am confident the Defence Forces will make a very substantial and distinguished contribution to commemorations in the coming years. The Defence Forces will have a special responsibility this year in the centenary of the founding of the Irish Volunteers. The arrangements for this important commemoration in November are nearing completion and will be announced shortly.

A comprehensive programme of commemoration, prepared under the auspices of the ICTU, continues to explore and commemorate the history of the Dublin Lock-out. I have been greatly impressed by the diversity of events and the many contributions to the programme, not only from trade unions but also from local authorities, cultural institutions, colleges, schools and the media. Perhaps most importantly, the One City, One Book programme organised by Dublin City Council shows how our commemorations can reach beyond their original purpose to stimulate interest in history and literature with continuing rewards.

This opportunity to engage with our history through artistic expression is very important. As we seek to relate to former times, there is a special and direct insight to be gained from their artistic output which has endured across the years. Equally, the response of this generation expressed through the arts will be of wide public interest, encourage discussion and be a special part of our contribution to the continuing legacy of the revolutionary age. Having afforded priority in my initial approach to certain continuing projects and new developments with a view to completion in 2016, I would now welcome suggestions with regard to the creative possibilities and special presentations that would constitute an artistic programme to complement the commemorations.

Another great opportunity available to us for this centenary programme is to make full use of new communications technologies to communicate our activities widely and encourage the participation of all interested people at home and abroad. The strong and continuing commitment of the national cultural institutions to the digitisation of collections and archives enables everyone to conduct a research project on any aspect of family, local, cultural, economic, political or military history, thereby making their contribution to the portrait of Ireland in the revolutionary age. Centenary related tourism in Ireland can be assisted by the development of informative smartphone applications and street guides. The Century Ireland project has the capacity to reach out through Twitter and Facebook to bring its content to public attention. I hope that people familiar with these technologies will be proactive in making suggestions of how they can be harnessed to contribute to our activities. I acknowledge today the production of a supplement by The Irish Times, the third of a series on this particular period. It is a fine publication.

I look forward to listening to Senators' suggestions. The last time I was in the House to outline my vision for the decade of commemorations, I got some good ideas. I very much appreciate the interest of this House in considering the progress and potential of the commemorative programme. This House has a major contribution to make in this area.