Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am proud to serve with her on the all-party consultation group on the decade of commemorations. Like many others inside and outside this House, I am concerned about the lack of focus on the celebrations for 2016. There has been a lack of focus, in particular, on the descendants of Cumann na mBan, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizens' Army, who number in the region of 150,000. They are extremely concerned that there is no clear vision when they ask the Government what is happening with the celebrations of 1916. Even the terminology of the group is in doubt. Is it a celebration? Is it a commemoration?

To my mind, what we are celebrating in 1916 is the words of the Proclamation. We are celebrating the vision of equal rights, equal opportunities and civil and religious liberties. As we have seen from the celebrations so far, that equality eludes us still. At the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Irish Volunteers at the Garden of Remembrance, the President attended, the Irish Army showed up, the Ministers and the Taoiseach were there. However, only 426 descendants were invited because they were all who were included on the current database, despite the existence of more than 150,000 living direct descendants. Then there is the 100th anniversary of Cumann na mBan. Was it equal? It was not. Was the President there to give a speech? Was it televised on RTE? Did the Army show up, as it did for the Irish Volunteers? Did Cumann na mBan give any less in 1916, in 1914, in the decade of independence? Its role was critical. Yet, a hundred years on, equality eludes us still.

It is ironic that we see for the first time a bridge over the Liffey named after a woman. She is rightly a member of Cumann na mBan and an activist in the trade union movement. I am sure my Labour Party colleagues are delighted to see this. However, I am sure if my Labour Party colleagues - many of whom have fought for an equality that eludes us still - think of their own counties and think of the public parks, buildings and roads named after women, aside perhaps from Markievicz Park in Sligo, they would be hard-pressed to name them. Over 50% of the population are women, but women do not get proper recognition.

What we are celebrating is what we were trying to achieve as outlined in the Proclamation at that time. In the decade of commemorations - this is my concern - how will the committee that is tasked with organising the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Rising and the Proclamation make the families central to this celebration? How can the Minister make them central and allay their concerns? I know the descendants are meeting on Sunday to organise themselves to ensure their voice is heard. I am sure the Minister will allow their voice to be heard. We need a clear vision. We have some colleagues in this House who have described the leaders and the people who signed that Proclamation as traitors-----