Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Defence the progress reported in the projects relating to the 2016 commemoration of the 1916 rising at the Oireachtas consultation group report on 2 December 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1973/10]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The All Party Oireachtas Consultation Group on the Centenary of the Rising met in Leinster House on Wednesday, 2 December, 2009. The Group were informed of recent developments and events, including:-

(a) Commemorations at

a. the General Post Office, Dublin on Easter Sunday, 12 April, 2009

b. the War Memorial Park, Islandbridge, 11 July, 2009

c. National Day of Commemoration, Kilmainham, 12 July, 2009.

(b) Arbour Hill renewal works including restoration and extension of the existing church car park, repair and restoration of all existing cemetery graves, repair of cemetery pathways and the planting of new trees.

(c) The future location of the Abbey Theatre and possible redevelopment at the GPO with reference also to the protection of 16 Moore Street.

(d) Recent acquisitions for the national collections of items of interest relating to the independence period, amongst which were the 964 items of the Stanley Collection at a cost of €3.5 million. Other items purchased/donated include a letter from P.H. Pearse to General Maxwell and General Maxwell's brief reply and a copy of the Proclamation.

(e) Assistance towards themed publications i.e. the Royal Irish Academy's recent publication on Seán Lemass, and the SIPTU sponsored publication on James Connolly.

(f) The Military Archives Project envisages that files, being the service records of personnel involved in the struggle for independence, would be released into the public domain on a phased basis in the years leading to the Centenary of the Rising. The Group were informed that an Advisory Board of historians had accepted invitations to assist with this project.

Later that day, the group visited Glasnevin Cemetery and the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks to view projects relating to the 2016 commemoration of the 1916 Rising.

At Glasnevin Cemetery, the Group inspected progress on the significant programme of ongoing restoration works underway for which €6.4m of NDP funding has been provided to date. A new interpretative centre is scheduled to be opened in April, 2010.

While at Glasnevin, the Group noted the four headstones recently erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on graves recording the British military service of the deceased. It is envisaged that further such headstones will be erected over coming years.

Following a meeting with the Director of the National Museum of Ireland, the Group visited two exhibitions: Soldiers and Chiefs - The Irish at War at Home and Abroad from 1550 and The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916.

The Group also visited the ongoing restoration work being conducted on Erskine Childers' yacht Asgard. This project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2010.

The future use of the GPO including the possible development of cultural and amenity projects is under consideration. The suggested relocation to the GPO complex of the Abbey Theatre is currently being examined by the Office of Public Works. The decision on future use will have regard to all advice and suggestions received.

It was agreed that the Group would meet again early in 2010.