Good evening everyone and welcome to the historic GPO.
Easter Week 1916 was one of those seminal weeks when the fault lines of history shifted and reshaped the political, social, cultural, and economic landscape of these islands.
More importantly the events of that momentous week and its aftermath, and the inspiring Proclamation which underpins it, has shaped our view of ourselves and our nation, for the past century.
It’s a short document, and like the Gettysburg address of just 53 years earlier it is brilliantly concise – 490 words in total. It laid out the basis for what was happening and stated clearly a set of political and social objectives in terms that were both moral and just.
The period 1912 – 1922 was the single most important decade in modern Irish History. That epoch changing decade laid the foundations of two States and radically altered forever the relationship between the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
That’s not to deny that a sovereign state might have emerged by other means at another time, or to disrespect the extraordinary achievements of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
We have an illustrious parliamentary tradition, from Edmund Burke, through O’Connell, Issac Butt, Parnell, Redmond and John Dillon.
Indeed O’Connell is rightly viewed as being one of the fathers of the European Christian Democratic movement – a movement which my party belongs to and one which was instrumental is shaping the Europe we know today. It’s a legacy we must not ignore.
It is also appropriate to acknowledge the Unionist tradition of loyalty to the Union – a loyalty that was to be written in blood on the Somme on the 1st of July 1916, less than twelve weeks after the Rising.
Being Irish is more complicated, more diverse – indeed more interesting – than we might sometimes like to think. We need to appreciate the subtle inter-reliance and relationships between different traditions on this island. We do not need to be afraid of differences - but to embrace diversity.
This also extends to the wave of “new Irish” who have travelled to our shores and have enriched our lives, our communities and our culture with their diversity.
It is for that reason we are here today to launch a framework programme of events to mark Easter week and 1916 and to begin an evolving and inclusive consultation on the details for 2016.
2016 presents us with a once-in-a-century opportunity to create events of celebration and remembrance that are of value in themselves but that also contribute to a greater sense of who we are.
Easter Sunday on 28th March will see a public parade outside this building. This will be a solemn occasion, which will include a reading of the Proclamation and 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.
The day before the Parade, on Easter Saturday, there will be a number of other special events for the relatives and descendants. It is crucial that these events are developed in consultation with the relatives and I know Minister Humphreys has already begun that process.
Marking the losses which are such a difficult legacy of the Rising is not something which can be done by one catch-all event or by a simple acknowledgement.
The Government is determined to consult widely and to develop a comprehensive programme of dignified acts of remembrance.
It is also appropriate that we mark the actual centenary of the rising itself on Sunday 24th April. That day we will have a Commemoration at Arbour Hill hosted by the Minister for Defence and consisting of a Requiem Mass and ceremonies at the Graves of the 1916 Leaders.
We should reflect for a moment on the lives of theexecuted 1916 leaders. They were a collection of strong willed, forward thinking individuals, some idealistic, some pragmatic, some poetic, some imaginative, some perhaps not Irish by birthright– an accurate description of modern Irish society today.
All were engaged together in an extraordinary endeavour – that of nation building, just as we are still doing today.
They can be described as perhaps the first active citizens of this state. A state that is constantly changing by virtue of evolving economic, social, international and cultural forces.
In the past decade alone, we have continued to shape our country’s history with events such as the Queen’s Visit, and the reciprocal visit of the President to the UK, the devolution of policing and justice in Northern Ireland. Our capacity to evolve, to grow and to adapt is what defines us and what ensures our continued success.
The central elements of the Easter weekend and the centenary itself are the focal points of our commemoration programme. But we need 2016 to be much more than that. 2016 can be a year when we Rememberour shared history on these islands, Reflect on our achievements and our failings, Re-imagine our future.
All three – Remember, Reflect and Re-imagine – can perhaps best be achieved through the creativity and imagination of our people, in particular our young people.
We will draw on our wealth of artistic talent to celebrate and renew our commitment to the Proclamation ideals of liberty and equality. 2016 can be – should be – for everyone – at home and in our diaspora – a time when we engage with each other in communities here and overseas, state proudly who we are and what we stand for, reach out and build friendships.
The first phase is a structured process of consultation and co-creation which has already begun. The Minister will talk us through how this will happen, but our guiding objective is to make sure that everyone’s voice can be heard and how to make 2016 the best possible year of remembrance, reflection and re-Imagining.
To develop a community lead nationwide programme, Ireland Inspires 2016 will actively engage with communities, schools, universities, colleges, business and voluntary organisations, arts and culture institutions, historical societies, local government, representative groups – at home and in our diaspora around the world.
Around the room here you see stands illustrating seven projects the government intends to bring to completion in time for the centenary celebrations – the permanent reminders of those events and that time – The GPO Centre here in this building, The National Concert Hall, Teach an Phiarsaigh in Connemara, the Kilmainham Courthouse project, Richmond Barracks and the Tenement Museum in Henrietta Street.
The Military Archive in Cathal Brugha Barracks is also a key element of this and the availability of these records has already proven a fascinating and invaluable window into the period.
I would also like to put on record our appreciation of the input to this process of the Expert Advisory Group of historians. The principles, priorities and guidelines for the decade of centenaries laid down by this group in their opening document underpin all that we are, and will be doing. We especially respect the emphasis on inclusivity, mutual tolerance and authenticity.
I commend also the public consultations organised by this group, the feedback from which has been very useful. And of course this consultation will be ongoing. I am particularly keen that local historical societies will have an opportunity to feed into the consultation process and I know that the members of the Expert Advisory Group are well placed to ensure that consultation is as comprehensive as possible.
The initial statement from the Group captures very succinctly what this commemoration should hope to achieve. Just as nobody should seek to own our history – nobody should seek to disown it either. We intend to stay true to the Statement by the Group by ensuring that the commemoration is measured and reflective, and will be informed by a full acknowledgement of the complexity of historical events and their legacy.
We know there must be full acknowledgement of the multiple identities and traditions which are part of the overall story and of the different ideals and sacrifices associated with them. We will ensure that official events must within reason be inclusive and non-partisan, but at the same time we will not, and should not be expected to be neutral about the State’s own existence.
Our history is a shared legacy and a continuous thread that has a waft and weave that embraces diversity and a worldwide Diaspora which they share with pride as part of their identity. It is crucial that we involve the Diaspora in our commemoration and I know that our Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan has already begun that programme of outreach.
We are a people of imagination whose culture of song, dance, music and literature has captured the imagination of the world. I want the 2016 commemorations to be remembered for its diversity, inclusion, imagination and inspiration.
Ireland has evolved much in the past 100 years. The next century will have more to offer. We are a tenacious people with a remarkable capacity for endurance and self belief in the face of adversity.
As a nation we should move forward together secure in the confidence of commemorating the Easter Rising 1916 as an ancient European people, with a culture, language and tradition that we are proud of. It is a pivotal moment in our history that demands appropriate commemoration – but also an opportunity to think deeply about our future.
We are rightly proud of our past, stand confidently in the present and look to the future with resolve. Let us engage with the Rising and its outcomes with vigour.
ENDS