Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his good wishes. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the commemorations with the Members and to inform them of the Government's plans to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. When the Taoiseach appointed me to the position of Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in July, he gave me responsibility to lead the 1916 commemorations and I was delighted to be given the challenge. As a member of the Oireachtas all-party consultation group on the commemorations, I have listened to many views over the past three years on the form our commemorations should take, and I am pleased to have an opportunity to listen to the Members' views today.
Like many commemorations, the events of 1916 are viewed and understood in many different ways across Ireland. I want to build on the understanding of the history of the period and ensure the Rising is marked in a way that is inclusive, respectful and appropriate. An inclusive approach acknowledges all the identities and traditions that form part of our historical experience. It also facilitates open dialogue, increases our understanding and builds further reconciliation on the island of Ireland.
As part of the decade of centenaries, which runs from 2012 to 2022, the Government has been engaged in a series of major commemorative events. The period from 1912 to 1922 was one of the most eventful in Ireland's history. From the campaign for Home Rule, the 1913 Lock-out, through the First World War and the Easter Rising of 1916 to the foundation of the Free State, this was a decade of immense upheaval and change. Through the decade of centenaries programme, we have been commemorating and respectfully remembering each event as it happened.
In recent months, I have attended a series of commemorations to mark the outbreak of the First World War and remember the many thousands of Irish men and women who fought and lost their lives. On Tuesday this week, I was joined by the Northern Ireland Minister, Ms Arlene Foster, MLA, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Dr. Andrew Murrison, MP, at St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, to mark Remembrance Day. It is important that we can come together with our British and Northern counterparts to remember the men and women who fought side by side on a lonely foreign battlefield.
During the summer, I attended an official commemorative event, led by President Michael D. Higgins, to mark the centenary of the Howth gun running, at Howth Harbour, and met many of the craftsmen who worked to restore Erskine Childers's yacht, the Asgard, which is now on display at Collins Barracks. The tremendous community effort and voluntary work I witnessed in Howth brought home to me the potential that centenary events have as community events. We also marked the tragic events that occurred at Bachelors Walk with a wreath laying ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery and a mass in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. It is of the utmost importance that the dignity of those who suffered and died is paramount, and that their relatives are given pride of place in remembering their family members.
In early September, I was delighted to attend an excellent and worthwhile event in Ballina to commemorate the women of Cumann na mBan. This follows a series of important commemorative events held in April this year to commemorate the founding of Cumann na mBan. The formation of Cumann na mBan was an absolutely vital step in the empowerment, both politically and socially, of women in Ireland. It is very important that women's participation in the Rising continues to be fully acknowledged as we lead up to 2016. I also attended the unveiling of a cross of sacrifice at Glasnevin Cemetery to mark the centenary of the Great War and to commemorate the many thousands of soldiers from Ireland who died as a result of either the First World War or Second World War, especially the 207 who are buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has done a substantial amount of work to ensure that these centenaries are marked appropriately. This includes working closely with relevant Departments, agencies and services, as well as with local authorities, colleges and community groups. One of the most powerful ways for us to reflect and respect the events of 100 years ago is through individual stories of human endeavour. Earlier this week, at the Glasnevin Great War exhibition, I was struck by the story of John Kennedy who fought in the First World War for the British Army. When he returned home to Ireland, he fought in the War of Independence and later in the Civil War. On the morning of the first day of the battle for Dublin, in the Civil War, he married his sweetheart, but later that afternoon he was killed in action. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in the national Army plot, only yards away from Michael Collins. Personal stories, stories of families and individuals, give us a powerful insight into what life must have been like for the men and women who made such incredibly brave choices 100 years ago. They give us a sense of the human suffering that was the everyday reality for those caught up in conflict and they illustrate the complexities of our history.
I was pleased to be joined at the GPO last night by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, for the launch of Ireland 2016, a national initiative which includes a programme of events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Ireland 2016, a national initiative led by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will develop, co-ordinate and deliver a programme of activity to honour and remember those who fought and those who died in the 1916 Rising. It will also reflect on the legacy of that period and look towards our future. Ireland 2016 is based on five intersecting themes: "remember", recalling our shared history on the island of Ireland; "reconcile", honouring all who have built peace and brought people together; "imagine", releasing the creativity of our people, in particular our young people; "present", creatively showing our achievements to the world; and "celebrate", with family, community and friendship and renew our commitment to the Proclamation ideals of liberty and equality.

A great deal of planning and work has taken place over the past number of months to ensure that the 2016 commemorations have a lasting legacy. Earlier this year the Government allocated €22 million for 2015 for seven flagship commemorative projects to be finalised in time for Easter 2016.
The capital projects also include: the building of an interpretative centre at the GPO, which is expected to attract up to 300,000 visitors a year; refurbishment works at Richmond Barracks, where the leaders of the Rising were held after their surrender; the upgrade of Kilmainham Courthouse and Gaol, where the trials and executions were held; the restoration of the historic Kevin Barry Room in the National Concert Hall, where the treaty debates took place; the development of new visitor centre at Teach an Phiarsaigh, Rosmuc; the restoration of 14 Henrietta Street as a tenement museum; and the development of Cathal Brugha Barracks to support a new military service pensions archive facility. Each of these projects will deepen our understanding of the history of that period and provide an enduring and permanent tribute to those involved in the Rising. Together they will open up our history.
A number of formal State events will be held over Easter weekend 2016. On Easter Saturday, 26 March 2016, there will be a remembrance ceremony at Arbour Hill followed by a special State reception for the 1916 relatives. On Easter Sunday, March 27, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Kilmainham Gaol in the morning, followed by a formal State parade to be led by representatives of the relatives who fought and died in 1916. This event will start with a military ceremonial, which will include the reading of the Proclamation by an Army officer, the laying of a wreath by the President on behalf of the Irish people in honour of all those who fought and those who died during the Rising in 1916, a minute's silence, the sounding of the Last Post, the raising of the national flag and the national anthem. There will then be a march-past by representatives of the 1916 relatives and representatives of An Garda Síochána and other emergency services. The Defence Forces will be present with a full military parade, including a UN peacekeeping element, and the parade will conclude with an Air Corps fly-past. The President and Taoiseach, along with the 1916 relatives and representatives of State and civil society, will view the parade from viewing stands which will line O'Connell Street, with the maximum amount of seating the street can accommodate. The public will be able to view the parade all along the parade route and large screens will be erected for maximum visibility.
On the evening of Easter Sunday there will be a State reception in Dublin Castle. On Easter Monday there will be an interfaith service at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. On Sunday April 24, the actual date of the Rising, there will be a commemoration at Arbour Hill hosted by the Minister for Defence, consisting of a requiem mass, and ceremonies will be held at the graves of the 1916 leaders.
As well as the formal State events, the second key element of Ireland 2016 will be widespread community engagement. The €4 million that I secured in the budget will be used to roll out an integrated plan during 2015 to facilitate community events and initiatives. A widespread consultation process will now take place over the coming months. I have set up a new 2016 project office in my Department, which will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including schools, relatives groups, colleges, businesses, voluntary organisations, arts and cultural institutions, historical societies and local government. A series of meetings will be held in every county across the country to facilitate ground-up initiatives so that local communities can get involved and put their own shape on the commemorations as we move towards 2016. This work is already well under way. Yesterday, I met city and county managers to outline how I believe we can work together to make this a truly national initiative.
Our national cultural institutions will also play a key role in the commemorations. A rich and vibrant culture programme, with an international dimension, will be finalised in co­operation with the national cultural institutions, the Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland. I want children and young people to be at the centre of how we mark 2016. For that reason, I will be working with my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to develop arts programmes in our schools. We will build on the links developed during The Gathering to reach out to local communities and the diaspora.
Last week, I travelled to New Orleans for the 2014 International Famine Commemoration. I was completely overwhelmed by the strength of the Irish community there and its deep sense of pride about where it comes from. It was very clear to me from talking to people there that they want to get involved in the commemorations. I am determined to reach out to those in New Orleans and other Irish communities across the globe so they can play their part in Ireland 2016. My Department will work with our embassy network and through Culture Ireland to present Ireland 2016 to the world. Information about Ireland 2016 is available on a dedicated website, www.ireland.ie, and if Senators have not had an opportunity to visit it I would encourage them to do so and to read the comprehensive information pack published last night.
As well as widespread consultations and preparations for 2016, a number of other key milestones will be marked during the course of 2015, including the centenary of the battles at Gallipoli. We will work in partnership with groups based in Cork and Dublin to develop special commemorative arrangements to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Lusitania. The year 1915 also saw the death of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa and Pádraig Pearse's famous graveside oration, which spurred the developments that led to the Rising just a few months later. There will also be a project between the National Archives and the National Museum to demonstrate the preparations carried out in Collins Barracks by soldiers as they prepared to leave for war during 1915.
I look forward to working with the expert advisory group, chaired by Maurice Manning, and my colleagues on the Oireachtas all-party consultation group, and am very grateful for their work, guidance and support to ensure we have commemorations that are inclusive, appropriate and respectful. I would also like to ask Members of the House here today to act as messengers in their communities and to tell people about and encourage them to get involved with the commemorations to help to make Ireland 2016 a success. As I have outlined, community involvement will be key, and we can all work together to make the commemorations a truly inclusive occasion.
At every level of our society, we can make 2016 a wonderful, inspirational time, when we build new friendships, infuse our communities with a renewed spirit of creativity, deepen our understanding of difference and begin to build a better future for our children. I thank Members for their attention and for affording me this opportunity to update the House, and I look forward to hearing their contributions.