Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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1751. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider the establishment of a national holiday on an annual basis to commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916 by designating Easter Monday or 24 April as Ireland’s independence day. [33179/14]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1764. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising; the number of events planned for 2016 and a calendar of same; the level of public involvement in the preparations to date and in the events that are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34147/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos 1751 and 1764 together.

At the Deputies will be aware, an inclusive and detailed programme of events for the commemoration of the 1916 Rising is being developed with a view to having a draft programme available in the autumn, which would be subject to consultation before finalisation.

Through consultation with the Oireachtas All-Party Working Group on Commemorations and the Advisory Group on Commemorations, I will be seeking to prioritise ideas that are of educational and historical value, especially those which provide a lasting legacy, and are appropriate in tone, balance and scale to the events being commemorated. The issue of involvement at community and local authority level will also be a priority for me. As ever, I am interested in receiving any ideas in this regard from Members of this House.

With regard to the designation of Easter Monday 2016, as referred to, aspects of this proposal have been considered by the All-Party Working Group on Commemorations, which agreed that it would need further development before it merited consideration by Government. The Group also suggested that a once-off national holiday marking the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016 would be worthy of serious consideration. Any such proposals will ultimately be a matter for consideration by the Government in the context of approving a draft programme of events for the commemoration of the 1916 Rising, as referred to above.

As has been mentioned previously, a number of flagship capital projects have been identified as priorities for completion by Easter 2016. These include the development of a suitable permanent facility for the military service pensions archive, the renovation of Kilmainham courthouse to enhance the visitor experience at Kilmainham Gaol, the development of a permanent exhibition space and interpretative centre at the GPO, the development of visitor facilities at Teach an Phiarsaigh, Ros Muc, as well as the renovation of Richmond Barracks and the development of a Tenement Museum. These initiatives are moving ahead.