:00:21. > :00:23.Welcome to Dublin and our special programme marking
:00:24. > :00:30.Today is very much the centrepiece of the commemoration
:00:31. > :00:35.In just over half an hour's time, we'll
:00:36. > :00:39.see the full ceremonial formality, right here in O'Connell Street
:00:40. > :00:43.at the General Post Office, the GPO, the scene of some of the heaviest
:00:44. > :00:50.A military parade is already underway.
:00:51. > :00:52.It is weaving its way through the city, passing
:00:53. > :00:55.through many of the locations intimately connected with the events
:00:56. > :01:02.It will be a day of very mixed emotions, meaning different
:01:03. > :01:08.For many who have a link to the Rising, there
:01:09. > :01:14.What happened a century ago had all sorts
:01:15. > :01:19.The organisers have stressed they want
:01:20. > :01:22.these anniversary events to be mindful of all those
:01:23. > :01:24.who lost their lives during the course of the Rising,
:01:25. > :01:25.rebels, soldiers, police officers, civilians, unionists,
:01:26. > :01:40.In total, more than 480 people.
:01:41. > :01:43.We will hear more about that in a moment and I will be joined
:01:44. > :01:45.by some commentators here at this incredible
:01:46. > :01:50.vantage point right opposite the GPO.
:01:51. > :01:52.BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson is with some of the crowd
:01:53. > :02:06.People have been here since seven o'clock this morning to get the best
:02:07. > :02:11.spot on O'Connell Street. People of all ages from all parts of the
:02:12. > :02:16.world. There is a woman from Germany, a man from Argentina. Lots
:02:17. > :02:22.and lots of people from Scotland. There must be nobody left in Glasgow
:02:23. > :02:28.today. Let's take a closer look. The crowd stretches down O'Connell
:02:29. > :02:35.Street. I'd bump into people from Belfast, Armagh, Newry, Sligo, from
:02:36. > :02:40.Dundalk and from Dublin. It is a big day for Dublin, not just if you are
:02:41. > :02:45.Republican, but if you are curious. As you can see, I am close to the
:02:46. > :02:51.GPU, about 500 metres away. The crowd are being kept a little way
:02:52. > :02:57.back, but of the 1916 rebels. There is a special place for them. A
:02:58. > :03:00.grandstand altered the GPU, including the relatives of of the
:03:01. > :03:06.late James Connolly. I have been speaking to his great grandson who
:03:07. > :03:10.is here from San Francisco and he told me he is really excited to be
:03:11. > :03:16.here in Dublin. Connelly has always been a part of my life. He has been
:03:17. > :03:23.on my work since I was a baby. My father was driven by James Connolly.
:03:24. > :03:26.He was constantly reminding me growing up that James Connolly was
:03:27. > :03:41.your great-grandfather and that you have a personal... Not only a
:03:42. > :03:48.connection, but a responsibility to do the right thing, to treat people
:03:49. > :03:53.as equals, to bring people together and I have tried to do that my whole
:03:54. > :03:59.life and even as a police officer I have tried to do that. I can tell
:04:00. > :04:04.you, he is quite a character. He told me he is a police officer in
:04:05. > :04:13.San Francisco, a rifle instructor. He said guns run in the family. It
:04:14. > :04:18.is worth remembering there were incidents in a few other parts of
:04:19. > :04:23.the country in 1916, in counties Wexford, Galway and me is and we
:04:24. > :04:27.heard about people coming from Scotland. I spoke to a couple from
:04:28. > :04:32.Glasgow who are here because one of their relatives took part in an
:04:33. > :04:36.attack on a police barracks in Ashbourne in County Meath. It police
:04:37. > :04:39.officers, to Irish Volunteers and a civilian were killed during what was
:04:40. > :04:45.a lengthy gun battle in that village. Yet another reminder of the
:04:46. > :04:50.loss of life. The Rising was largely confined to Dublin and it was right
:04:51. > :04:56.across the street here on the steps of the GPU, with just if you bemused
:04:57. > :04:59.passers-by, as an audience that one of the rebel leaders, Padraig
:05:00. > :05:05.Pearse, read the proclamation of the Irish Republic. Shane Harrison is
:05:06. > :05:08.with me. You have been trying to distil some of the core fact of
:05:09. > :05:14.history that have been embellished through the years. The right to
:05:15. > :05:20.mention that a lot of the countryside to Dublin took no part
:05:21. > :05:24.in the Rising. There was huge confusion about whether the planned
:05:25. > :05:30.rebellion would go ahead after an arms shipment from Germany, overseen
:05:31. > :05:34.by Sir Roger Casement, was intercepted of Kerry by the British.
:05:35. > :05:38.There were three groups involved, the Irish Citizen Army, which was
:05:39. > :05:43.made up of mostly trade union activists. It is best known leaders
:05:44. > :05:48.were James Connolly and Countess Constance Markievizc. Then, that was
:05:49. > :05:52.the biggest single group, the Irish Volunteers, formed in 1913 in
:05:53. > :05:56.response to the formation of the Ulster volunteers during the Home
:05:57. > :06:01.Rule Crisis the previous year. Inside it was a secret radical
:06:02. > :06:06.group, the IRB, the Irish Republican Brotherhood. As Easter 1916
:06:07. > :06:09.approached, they were pushing for armed insurrection overruled at the
:06:10. > :06:14.last minute by the leadership because of what happened to the
:06:15. > :06:17.German guns. The IRB and the Citizen Army proceeded with the rebellion
:06:18. > :06:20.alleyway, foreshadowing a long-running debate in Irish
:06:21. > :06:29.nationalism. The gun versus politics. Battered and bruised, 100
:06:30. > :06:33.years ago it was from the GPU that Padraig Pearse proclaimed the
:06:34. > :06:39.Republic. The Rising that lasted several days left a city in ruins
:06:40. > :06:42.with nearly 500 dead, predictably, mostly civilians. The rebellion took
:06:43. > :06:47.place against a background of delayed home rule and tens of
:06:48. > :06:51.thousands of Irish men dying on the Western Front in the First World
:06:52. > :06:56.War. While most people see the events of Easter week as a key
:06:57. > :07:01.moment in Irish independence, a former Taoiseach believes the blood
:07:02. > :07:04.sacrifice involved was unnecessary. After all, Scotland had an
:07:05. > :07:09.independence referendum two years ago. I think Ireland would have had
:07:10. > :07:14.a referendum or some other consultation in the 1920s or the
:07:15. > :07:18.1930s. Looking for a much greater independence, if not complete
:07:19. > :07:22.independence. I think, unlike Scotland, it would have passed
:07:23. > :07:28.because in the Irish case, people wanted independence for its own
:07:29. > :07:30.sake, not because of financial advantages or perceived financial
:07:31. > :07:35.advantages, which seemed to weigh a lot in the Scottish mind. East of
:07:36. > :07:39.making 16 was part of the insurrectionary tradition in Irish
:07:40. > :07:43.nationalism but there was also a Parliamentary one. It is estimated
:07:44. > :07:46.at only a third of the people had the thought that the town because of
:07:47. > :07:50.property qualifications and a lack of female suffrage. Unlike John
:07:51. > :07:57.Bruton, the president believes the Rising was necessary. I think the
:07:58. > :08:01.balance now amongst historians, not just here, but abroad and in Britain
:08:02. > :08:05.as well, is that it did need this event and it is this an event which
:08:06. > :08:11.gave us the space and the capacity for independence and freedom. In
:08:12. > :08:14.1918, men and women voted overwhelmingly in southern Ireland
:08:15. > :08:19.for Sinn Fein, with its aims similar to those of the rebels. In the
:08:20. > :08:25.north, unionists got a similar mandate, almost a petition of sorts.
:08:26. > :08:29.According to the estimates which do vary, more than half of those killed
:08:30. > :08:35.during the Rising and in the days afterwards, or civilians. That is
:08:36. > :08:38.some 260 people. More than 100 to the soldiers and 80 rebels were also
:08:39. > :08:44.killed and 17 policemen lost their lives. Three of those policemen or
:08:45. > :08:48.from the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the others were from the Royal Irish
:08:49. > :08:54.Constabulary, which released the rest of the country. Mark since and
:08:55. > :09:00.has been speaking to a relative of one police officer who was killed
:09:01. > :09:03.during the Rising. One of the striking features of the day is the
:09:04. > :09:08.fact that the Irish government were going out of the way to remember the
:09:09. > :09:13.1916 rebels, but all of those who died 100 years ago this weekend.
:09:14. > :09:17.Including police officers, including 23-year-old Constable Charles
:09:18. > :09:22.McGhee. The young Catholic from County Donegal who was killed in
:09:23. > :09:27.County Louth as disturbances spread around the country. His relatives
:09:28. > :09:34.are here, including his grand niece, Doctor Marge O'Boyle. I spoke to
:09:35. > :09:38.earlier. I am proud that the memory of Charles McGhee is finally being
:09:39. > :09:47.recognised after 100 years. There was no mention of victims of the
:09:48. > :09:50.Rising up until now in all the commemorations of the 1916 Rising,
:09:51. > :09:57.only the leaders and those who proclaimed the Republic, were
:09:58. > :10:01.mentioned. Only they were commemorated. Now, I think this year
:10:02. > :10:08.that victims like Charles McGhee are being recognised. I set out to
:10:09. > :10:13.ensure that his memory would live down through the generations and I
:10:14. > :10:20.know now that I have finally achieved that. I will be very proud.
:10:21. > :10:27.So many people, so many fascinating stories. I will be speaking to some
:10:28. > :10:31.of the crowd. Easter in the calendar is a movable feast. It is
:10:32. > :10:35.particularly early this year and it is important to note that the gate
:10:36. > :10:40.does not represent the actual anniversary. The Rising began on
:10:41. > :10:46.Easter Monday 1916 and that was the 24th of April. We are expecting the
:10:47. > :10:52.main ceremony to begin here at the GPO shortly. Some events have
:10:53. > :10:55.already taken place this morning and getting us through the formalities,
:10:56. > :11:02.from our commentary position, is my colleague, Seamus McKee. We are
:11:03. > :11:06.watching the arrivals of the dignitaries, the Taoiseach and
:11:07. > :11:13.president. Dublin, a city that piece this morning. This time 100 years
:11:14. > :11:16.ago it was a city unsuspecting. This morning, it is expected. Conscious
:11:17. > :11:22.of a moment in history being relived. Earlier this morning there
:11:23. > :11:28.was a military ceremony at a place which perhaps more than any other
:11:29. > :11:32.transform the narrative. Kilmainham Gaol. The prison with the leaders
:11:33. > :11:41.and others were executed turning the Rising into what some have described
:11:42. > :11:46.as a triumph of failure. In the weeks after the Rising 14 of the
:11:47. > :11:49.rebels, including all seven signatories of the Proclamation
:11:50. > :11:54.faced firing squads in the Stonebraker's yard at Kilmainham.
:11:55. > :12:01.This morning, Reeves were left where they died. Among those attending the
:12:02. > :12:12.president, the Taoiseach and government ministers. They observed
:12:13. > :12:16.a minute 's silence. The executions took place here between the third
:12:17. > :12:21.and the 4th of May 1816. The first to die was Padraig Pearse. In a
:12:22. > :12:27.letter to his mother two days before his death he wrote, people will say
:12:28. > :12:29.hard things others now, but we shall be remembered by posterity and
:12:30. > :12:44.blessed by unborn generations. The executions market at Kilmainham
:12:45. > :12:45.Gaol this morning, as much as the Rising itself, helped change the
:12:46. > :13:06.course of history. The defence minister being welcomed
:13:07. > :13:13.to this ceremonial. President Higgins now on his way to his place
:13:14. > :13:16.here at the GPO. He has referred, prior to this commemoration, to the
:13:17. > :13:20.discrimination against women that persisted into the early years of
:13:21. > :13:27.the free State. And the work that remained to be done, he said, if the
:13:28. > :13:32.Republic is to live up to the dreams of revolutionary women of the last
:13:33. > :13:47.100 years. These are the words of the poet, but Higgins. I write it
:13:48. > :13:58.out in a verse, she said, Constance Markiewicz, may more, Kathleen Lynn,
:13:59. > :14:04.Rose McNamara, Kitty Fleming. The men of 1916, she wrote, did not sit
:14:05. > :14:10.back and wait in the wings of history. As the ceremonial unfolds,
:14:11. > :14:15.these are some of the reflections prompted by it today.
:14:16. > :14:21.Many of the relatives of those who took part in the Rising
:14:22. > :14:25.Earlier this week we heard from the grandchildren of three
:14:26. > :14:40.My grandfather on my mother 's side was a determined in the factory
:14:41. > :14:46.during the Rising. He was in various locations around O'Connell Street.
:14:47. > :14:53.He got out, he was one of the lucky ones, he survived it. He was not
:14:54. > :14:57.jailed at the end of it. That was his participation in it. Molly
:14:58. > :15:02.O'Reilly was 15 years of age when she participated in the Rising. The
:15:03. > :15:06.year before, she joined the Irish Citizen Army and was based in
:15:07. > :15:11.Liberty Hall full-time and witness statements that has been said that
:15:12. > :15:15.Molly was the most trusted messenger. It week before the
:15:16. > :15:21.Rising, James Connolly centre her and she thought she was in trouble
:15:22. > :15:29.but he sent for her and he asked her to hoist first flagged over Liberty
:15:30. > :15:36.Hall. It was to declare that far part of Dublin three of imperialism.
:15:37. > :15:44.My grandfather Frank Henderson was a captain in the GPO Garrison, as also
:15:45. > :15:47.was his brother. They went into the GPO and they had prisoners with them
:15:48. > :15:52.and they were being shot at by their own because they saw the prisoners,
:15:53. > :15:56.their British uniforms. James Connolly had to rush out into the
:15:57. > :16:01.street and tell them, stop, stop! They got into the GPO and Padraig
:16:02. > :16:06.Pearse congratulated them because they never thought they would make
:16:07. > :16:14.it in. But Frank and his brother were then continuously in the
:16:15. > :16:19.action, if you can call it that. They were charged to burrow through
:16:20. > :16:27.the buildings. When they were arrested, he was there with some of
:16:28. > :16:34.the leaders. They were marched down to the Rotunda. They were kept there
:16:35. > :16:39.overnight and in terrible conditions. He was one of the last
:16:40. > :16:47.to leave the GPO and he was one of the last to leave, he got out on
:16:48. > :16:52.Christmas Eve 1916. All the leaders, they were not men of violence, they
:16:53. > :17:01.were not the literary people, they were poets and scholars, writers and
:17:02. > :17:05.teachers. They had a vision for Ireland and what had happened under
:17:06. > :17:08.British rule, all the Irishness was taken out, you were not allowed to
:17:09. > :17:19.speak the Irish language, you were put in jail. My own grandfather, he
:17:20. > :17:22.lost his job because when the king of England was coming over on a
:17:23. > :17:27.visit, he refused to go out and waive the union Jack flag and he
:17:28. > :17:32.lost his job because of that. I think it was right for
:17:33. > :17:39.self-determination which is a right that has only come into its own in
:17:40. > :17:44.the latter half of the last century. We were a very old nation, a young
:17:45. > :17:53.state. As then 100 years of state and I think these were visionaries.
:17:54. > :17:58.It wasn't their intent for violence. It was an intent for
:17:59. > :18:05.self-determination, against oppression and a right to be
:18:06. > :18:07.independent. They wanted their own Republican recognition along with
:18:08. > :18:11.the culture and all the good things that go with it. That is what they
:18:12. > :18:15.were aiming for at the end of the day. It's just the way things turned
:18:16. > :18:17.out. Among the civilians who died
:18:18. > :18:20.in Easter week was a child of 22 The names of just
:18:21. > :18:28.a handful of the dead They were among
:18:29. > :18:31.the rebel leadership. All of the names will be
:18:32. > :18:35.on a memorial wall to be unveiled With me now is Jane Ohlmeyer,
:18:36. > :18:54.Professor of Modern History As we look back to the rebel
:18:55. > :18:58.leaders, an eclectic group of people, veteran republicans, poets,
:18:59. > :19:05.socialists. How did that leadership gel together? The first thing is, it
:19:06. > :19:08.is a motley crew, none of them had military experience so we would have
:19:09. > :19:13.Thomas Clarke, the most senior figure. He would have been a great
:19:14. > :19:20.opinion leader who had been incarcerated in a British jail for
:19:21. > :19:26.15 years and was passionate about the republican movement. Alongside
:19:27. > :19:31.him, we had people who were very committed, not just Irish separatism
:19:32. > :19:33.but also to cultural naturalism. Four of the seven centuries of the
:19:34. > :19:39.proclamation were actually playwrights. They were committed to
:19:40. > :19:44.begin a clique and the Irish language and creating a new Ireland.
:19:45. > :19:48.We can see the Taoiseach writhing for the ceremony outside the GPO.
:19:49. > :19:53.The place has a lot of military personnel here today. That is
:19:54. > :20:04.something not uncommon at the time of the Rising in 1916. How did that
:20:05. > :20:07.military aspect confuse matters are complicated matters for the rebels
:20:08. > :20:12.in the fighting? You must remember that Ireland and Britain were in the
:20:13. > :20:19.middle of a Great War that had begun in 1914 and so you would have had a
:20:20. > :20:25.lot of military personnel, British personnel, may be back on leave.
:20:26. > :20:30.Over 250,000 Irishmen served to fight in a Great War and of course
:20:31. > :20:40.many of them died in Flanders at the Somme. It was a very, very important
:20:41. > :20:45.aspect of it. The fate of the civilians during the Rising, many
:20:46. > :20:50.wondered, many died, 40 children died in the Rising. That seems to
:20:51. > :20:55.have come to prominence more in recent times. How has that changed
:20:56. > :20:59.the story of the Rising? It has helped to humanise the story of the
:21:00. > :21:02.Rising but it shouldn't surprise us that there were many civilian deaths
:21:03. > :21:08.is because here we are in book on Wall Street and there would have
:21:09. > :21:14.been a lot of tenement buildings around this main city street and
:21:15. > :21:18.these were some of the worst tenements in Western Europe and
:21:19. > :21:23.people would have been leading extremely poor with high mortality
:21:24. > :21:27.rates, high unemployment and of course many of these men had gone to
:21:28. > :21:31.take the Kings chilling in the Great War so there was some income coming
:21:32. > :21:36.back but the fact that the rebels decided to take the GPO is very
:21:37. > :21:42.significant because it meant they would be a that houses. We can see
:21:43. > :21:47.pictures, the parade started at Saint Stephen 's Green, and will
:21:48. > :21:53.arrive here outside the GPO O'Connell Street. Outside the GPO,
:21:54. > :21:59.Padraig Pearse, the rebel leader, read out the proclamation. If we
:22:00. > :22:03.look at that in the context of 2016, how radical was that proclamation
:22:04. > :22:09.and what was contained in it, the words that the leaders had written?
:22:10. > :22:14.At one level, it was a very hasty manifesto that has been drawn up but
:22:15. > :22:17.of course, it was hugely symbolic blow Padraig Pearse would have read
:22:18. > :22:24.it to a rather Bob The Builder grip of onlookers but anyway, it declares
:22:25. > :22:31.Ireland was to be a sovereign republic, it invokes the years of
:22:32. > :22:38.occupation and also recites the six other occasions that Irishmen had
:22:39. > :22:46.taken up arms against Britain. There was a real sense of equality, Irish
:22:47. > :22:51.and Irishwoman, no doubt these where James Connolly 's words as much as
:22:52. > :22:55.Padraig Pearse's as we don't actually know who wrote the
:22:56. > :23:00.proclamation. There were seven signatories and Thomas Clarke is the
:23:01. > :23:02.first is the most senior signatory. The other thing about the
:23:03. > :23:07.proclamation is that it was very much a blood sacrifice. Padraig
:23:08. > :23:13.Pearse new at the could not take on the might of the British Army so it
:23:14. > :23:19.was going to end as a Greek tragedy, some have said. You spoke about the
:23:20. > :23:23.small, bemused group of bystanders. Today the streets of Dublin are
:23:24. > :23:31.thronged with people who have come here for the spectacle, come to
:23:32. > :23:35.remember. For the people of 1916, there wasn't a general welcome for
:23:36. > :23:40.the rebellion straight after. How radical or drastic was the change of
:23:41. > :23:44.opinion once the rebels were executed? There was a little support
:23:45. > :23:49.for the rebellion initially and it was only as the British authorities
:23:50. > :23:52.began to execute the leaders but also they rounded up thousands who
:23:53. > :23:58.had very little to do with the Rising so what we see is very
:23:59. > :24:04.quickly popular opinion starting to shift here in Ireland but also in
:24:05. > :24:07.Britain and United States. However it shouldn't take away from the
:24:08. > :24:12.significance of what happened here because what it did lead to of
:24:13. > :24:15.course was an unstoppable process that resulted in the separation of
:24:16. > :24:22.Ireland from Great Britain and of course the partition of North and
:24:23. > :24:27.South. We can see pictures now of the cavalcade coming up O'Connell
:24:28. > :24:32.Street appear to the GPO which was effectively in ruins and much of the
:24:33. > :24:38.street was in ruins after the bombardment by the British forces of
:24:39. > :24:40.the rebels. The facade has been kept intact but this would have been a
:24:41. > :24:46.completely different scene 100 years ago Al-Hasawi there was utter
:24:47. > :24:52.devastation here. The facade is all that survives in terms of the GPO
:24:53. > :24:58.but all of the area around Laura O'Connell Street had been blasted by
:24:59. > :25:04.a British ship which had come up the River Liffey and it really was utter
:25:05. > :25:11.devastation. Here we are, the second city of the British Empire, utterly
:25:12. > :25:19.destroyed by the British themselves. The President, Michael D Higgins has
:25:20. > :25:25.just arrived. Being greeted by the Taoiseach. We are approaching the
:25:26. > :25:33.formalities of today. And the commemoration of the 1916. At the
:25:34. > :25:41.moment at least, the rain has stayed off. It is a nice, dry atmosphere
:25:42. > :25:43.and nice weather for all of the crowds that are lining the street.
:25:44. > :25:48.Let's go back to Mark Simpson on the ground here outside the GPO.
:25:49. > :25:58.I am with people from Kilkenny. Explain Whiteley decided to make the
:25:59. > :26:03.journey today? My husband is a member of the defence forces so he
:26:04. > :26:10.is working here today. I have two sons also members of the defence
:26:11. > :26:13.forces and my nephew is marching as part of the parade today so very
:26:14. > :26:23.proud to be here and excited as well. What is your feeling about the
:26:24. > :26:26.public mood today in Dublin? The public mood is really, really good.
:26:27. > :26:31.It is a great day for the Irish people. We are blessed with the
:26:32. > :26:36.weather as well. A lot of people have been looking forward to this
:26:37. > :26:39.day and a huge amount of preparation has taken place so it's just
:26:40. > :26:43.wonderful that all of the Irish people can share in all of this and
:26:44. > :26:48.we are in the capital city and right beside the GPO where it all
:26:49. > :26:52.occurred. What do you say to the critics who say that Irish people
:26:53. > :26:59.just dwell too much on the past and you are dragging it all up again?
:27:00. > :27:01.Have to celebrate our country and let's go forward. We wish you well
:27:02. > :27:14.and we hope it stays dry. The ceremony is about to start. Let
:27:15. > :27:18.me sing Chewbacca Seamus McKee. President begins moving to his
:27:19. > :27:26.place. Two former presidents are here, Robinson and McAleese. When
:27:27. > :27:31.the Queen visited in 2011, she said, Madam President, speaking here in
:27:32. > :27:35.Dublin Castle, it is important -- impossible to ignore the weight of
:27:36. > :27:39.history. As it was when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of
:27:40. > :27:44.remembrance. They did that in memory of those who died for Irish freedom.
:27:45. > :27:49.The weight of history so much in evidence. The Royal College of
:27:50. > :27:54.surgeons was one of the garrisons occupied by the rebels during Easter
:27:55. > :27:56.week. Earlier there was ceremony there are. They retreated to The
:27:57. > :28:07.Royal College of surgeons. During that ceremony, two flags were
:28:08. > :28:14.handed over, the Irish Republic flag and the Starry Plough flag. The
:28:15. > :28:19.Irish Republic flag flown over the GPO in O'Connell Street. It was the
:28:20. > :28:22.headquarters of the provisional government of Ireland. The flag was
:28:23. > :28:28.kept as it were a trophy and became the property of the King George V.
:28:29. > :28:33.The starry plough was the flag of the Irish Citizen Army created by a
:28:34. > :28:42.Belfast artist. He taught in the School of Art in Dublin. As the
:28:43. > :28:48.president reviews his escort, in 1916, that flag, the starry plough,
:28:49. > :28:52.flew from the Hotel opposite the GPO. It was thought to have been
:28:53. > :28:56.destroyed but survived and was taken as a souvenir by a British officer.
:28:57. > :29:04.The National Museum of Ireland got the flag from him in 1955. That
:29:05. > :29:09.speak again to Professor Jane. 100 years on, have the events today
:29:10. > :29:15.drawn a line under the past and put the Rising 100 years ago? I think it
:29:16. > :29:20.is important that we never forget the past, because it has shipped us
:29:21. > :29:24.and who we are. Ie The feeling that this has given us a great
:29:25. > :29:28.opportunity to reimagine a new Ireland, and Ireland for the
:29:29. > :29:33.21st-century, and Ireland that really impresses pluralism and
:29:34. > :29:38.diversity. I feel it is an important moment as we look to the future as
:29:39. > :29:46.well as remembering the past. Edmund Burke said those who do not know
:29:47. > :29:50.history risk repeating it. This week is very much been about remembering
:29:51. > :29:55.the past and reigniting that in regard to the minds of the new and
:29:56. > :30:00.present generation. That is very important. It is also very important
:30:01. > :30:06.we remember that the events that occurred here in 1916 also had
:30:07. > :30:14.global resonances. We saw it impact across the British Empire. Minutes
:30:15. > :30:21.away now from the start of the ceremony which will be at the heart
:30:22. > :30:28.of the commemoration today. Worth remembering that the defence forces
:30:29. > :30:34.we are seeing on parade today are serving very much a peaceful purpose
:30:35. > :30:42.as they have done on so many occasions in so many places around
:30:43. > :30:49.the world. They trace their history back to the Irish Volunteers founded
:30:50. > :30:54.in 1913 in Dublin, among whose founders were Eoin MacNeill and
:30:55. > :30:58.Patrick Pearse. The cap badge of the present defence forces is derived
:30:59. > :31:05.from the barge of the Irish Volunteers. It was designed by
:31:06. > :31:14.Professor McNay himself. Born in County Antrim, educated at Saint
:31:15. > :31:20.Malachy 's College in Belfast. Frances Johnson's imposing structure
:31:21. > :31:24.of stone and granite as the president takes place salute in
:31:25. > :31:31.front of it, brings grandeur to O'Connell Street as it has done for
:31:32. > :31:38.200 years. The GPO, a centre of business and public service today
:31:39. > :31:43.becomes, as it does every Easter Sunday, but today it is a place of
:31:44. > :31:51.commemoration, remembrance, but today particularly considerable
:31:52. > :31:57.pageantry. In the centre window, on the ground floor, barely visible
:31:58. > :32:01.from outside, Oliver Shepherd's Bronze statue of Cuchulain, a
:32:02. > :32:04.memorial to the participants in the Rising, inscribed with the names of
:32:05. > :32:10.the seven signatories of the proclamation. A former assertion of
:32:11. > :32:11.the Irish Republic as a sovereign, independent state and the
:32:12. > :32:38.declaration of rights. Ladies and gentlemen. The national
:32:39. > :32:56.flag over the General Post Office will now be lowered to half-mast.
:32:57. > :33:02.This, the protocol, the flag lowered to half-mast for every
:33:03. > :33:31.commemoration. Above the pillared portico is,
:33:32. > :33:37.statues of mercury and fidelity. Ladies and gentlemen, the head
:33:38. > :33:42.chaplain to the forces, Father Seamus Madigan, will now lead us
:33:43. > :33:48.prayer. He has served on peacekeeping missions in Kosovo,
:33:49. > :34:04.Chad and 11 on. Edge and the letting on. A prayer of remembrance. God
:34:05. > :34:08.most merciful and kind, on this Easter day of new beginnings we
:34:09. > :34:17.remember the men, the women and the children of 1916 whose short lives
:34:18. > :34:27.and big dreams extended the horizons of our hopes. In your mercy, the
:34:28. > :34:31.faithful departed find rest. Look kindly, we pray, one all who lost
:34:32. > :34:48.their lives during 1916 and throughout the troubled journey of
:34:49. > :34:52.our island. As we reflect on our past, we thank you for all the
:34:53. > :34:59.courageous people of Ireland who dared to hope and dream of a
:35:00. > :35:06.brighter tomorrow for our country and all of its citizens. Bless it
:35:07. > :35:14.are those who sought to build a more inclusive and just society, for they
:35:15. > :35:20.are truly the chosen of God. Look kindly, we pray, on the people of
:35:21. > :35:31.Ireland from all traditions, at home and abroad. Help us listen and
:35:32. > :35:40.respond to the voices that challenge in 2016 as we reimagine our future.
:35:41. > :35:47.Conscious of our troubled past, to you God, we sing a new song, a song
:35:48. > :35:58.of compassion, inclusion and engagement. A song of listening,
:35:59. > :36:04.social justice and respect. A song of unity, diversity, equality and
:36:05. > :36:12.peace. A song of Kidman Failte and respect our environment. With you, O
:36:13. > :36:22.Lord, we yearn to sing a new song in a spirit of true freedom. Loving you
:36:23. > :36:31.know Mike Friel heart and my frayed history and now, another day begins.
:36:32. > :36:39.Give us courage to step onto new ground, I young again with energy
:36:40. > :36:44.and dreams. Help us to believe in beginnings, to listen to the voices
:36:45. > :36:52.that challenge and to sing a new song for Ireland. Together, on this
:36:53. > :36:58.island, we have achieved a new peace. We cherish that peace as we
:36:59. > :37:05.cherish all of the children of this island equally. We pray for all
:37:06. > :37:14.those who have suffered in the troubles of the past century and we
:37:15. > :37:15.hope for peace and reconciliation in the century that stretches before
:37:16. > :37:43.us. Praise God for ever. I now invite
:37:44. > :37:51.children from each of the four provinces of Ireland to lay flowers
:37:52. > :37:59.on this historic ground as a symbol of our unshakeable resolve to live
:38:00. > :38:10.together on this island in peace and harmony. And now a piper plays a
:38:11. > :38:21.lament as the children representing the four provinces lay flowers. From
:38:22. > :38:28.Commack, Liam Henry from County Mayo, he is ten. From Munster, Alex
:38:29. > :38:36.Lucas from Waterford. From Ulster, Tony O'Brien, from County Antrim, he
:38:37. > :38:45.is ten. 38 children were killed but Easter week. Among them, Christopher
:38:46. > :38:49.Cathcart, aged ten, shot dead in crossfire at Portobello Bridge. He
:38:50. > :38:57.was one of nine children who shared a six room house with three other
:38:58. > :39:04.families. William Mullen from Miller Street was nine. He was shot as
:39:05. > :39:07.rebels retreated. He died at home without medical attention just a few
:39:08. > :39:16.hundred yards from where this ceremony is taking place. Walter
:39:17. > :39:20.Scott was it. The last child to die as a result of being shot in the
:39:21. > :39:23.week of the Rising. He was killed at the east Wall by a bullet from the
:39:24. > :39:55.British gunship Helga. And now, the combined feature the
:39:56. > :39:57.band featuring band members from both bands will play Danny boy to
:39:58. > :40:18.the chewing of the Londonderry air. The song was published just a few
:40:19. > :40:22.years before the rebellion. The lyrics chime with the young men
:40:23. > :40:27.going to war on the Western Front and with those who joined the fight
:40:28. > :40:30.for Irish freedom. James Connolly and Michael Mullen, two of the
:40:31. > :40:35.leaders of the rebellion, had previously served in the British
:40:36. > :40:41.Army. Connolly's brother, John, was still serving at the time of the
:40:42. > :40:46.Rising. 41 Irish men in the British Army died in action during the
:40:47. > :40:52.Easter week. Lance Corporal Nathanial Morton from the race --
:40:53. > :40:59.Royal Irish Fusiliers. He was 19, from Belfast. Private Joseph Cullen,
:41:00. > :41:06.from the shackle in Belfast was with the Fusiliers. Rifleman James
:41:07. > :41:10.McCullough from Donaghadee was killed. Alexander Maclennan of the
:41:11. > :41:13.rifles is buried in Grey Abbey Cemetery. Private John Hannah from
:41:14. > :41:29.Belfast was another among the British dead.
:41:30. > :41:36.The proclamation we are about to hear invokes the dead generations.
:41:37. > :41:40.In this year of centenary is, the different traditions on this island
:41:41. > :41:45.are reflecting on feeling excluded from the commemorations or if there
:41:46. > :42:50.is anything that unites them in honouring their cherished dead.
:42:51. > :42:55.The proclamation will be read by Captain Peter Kelleher from Cork. He
:42:56. > :44:14.joined the defence forces. While the proclamation, or after it
:44:15. > :44:25.is read, the military band will play again.
:44:26. > :44:30.Irishmen and Irishwomen: In the name of God and of the dead generations
:44:31. > :44:35.from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood,
:44:36. > :44:40.Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag
:44:41. > :44:47.Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret
:44:48. > :44:52.revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood,
:44:53. > :44:56.and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers
:44:57. > :45:01.and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her
:45:02. > :45:06.discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal
:45:07. > :45:12.itself, she now seizes that moment, and supported by her exiled children
:45:13. > :45:17.in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first
:45:18. > :45:21.on her own strength, she strikes in full
:45:22. > :45:28.We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership
:45:29. > :45:32.of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies,
:45:33. > :45:40.The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government
:45:41. > :45:44.has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished
:45:45. > :45:48.except by the destruction of the Irish people.
:45:49. > :45:53.In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right
:45:54. > :45:57.to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three
:45:58. > :46:01.hundred years they have asserted it in arms.
:46:02. > :46:07.Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms
:46:08. > :46:12.in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic
:46:13. > :46:16.as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives
:46:17. > :46:21.and the lives of our comrades in arms to the cause of its freedom,
:46:22. > :46:27.of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.
:46:28. > :46:32.The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance
:46:33. > :46:41.The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights
:46:42. > :46:45.and equal opportunities to all its citizens,
:46:46. > :46:49.and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity
:46:50. > :46:52.of the whole nation and of all its parts,
:46:53. > :46:57.cherishing all of the children of the nation equally,
:46:58. > :47:01.and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien
:47:02. > :47:04.Government, which have divided a minority from the
:47:05. > :47:11.Until our arms have brought the opportune moment
:47:12. > :47:14.for the establishment of a permanent National Government,
:47:15. > :47:18.representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected
:47:19. > :47:22.by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional
:47:23. > :47:27.Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil
:47:28. > :47:33.and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.
:47:34. > :47:37.We place the cause of the Irish Republic under
:47:38. > :47:41.the protection of the Most High God, Whose blessing we invoke
:47:42. > :47:47.upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause
:47:48. > :47:52.will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine.
:47:53. > :47:56.In this supreme hour the Irish nation must,
:47:57. > :48:01.by its valour and discipline, and by the readiness of its children
:48:02. > :48:05.to sacrifice themselves for the common good,
:48:06. > :48:11.prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.
:48:12. > :48:16.Signed on behalf of the Provisional Government:
:48:17. > :48:25.Thomas J Clarke, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, PH Pearse,
:48:26. > :48:49.Eamonn Ceannt, Even James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett.
:48:50. > :49:02.After the reading of the proclamation, the band will play. I
:49:03. > :49:48.am Ireland, the title taken from a poem by Patrick Pearse.
:49:49. > :49:59.This haunting music. In February this year, the British ambassador
:50:00. > :50:03.spoke at a debate in UCD and he said, it seems right that this
:50:04. > :50:08.country is celebrating its independence that was one after a
:50:09. > :50:13.long struggle over an overbearing neighbour, should remedy key events
:50:14. > :50:19.in the path to independence. There is no need, he said, to debate the
:50:20. > :50:24.rights and wrongs of the Rising, to conclude that it is worthy of
:50:25. > :50:28.commemoration. He described the Queens visit to the Garden of
:50:29. > :50:36.remembrance in 2011 as the moment history fast forwarded from
:50:37. > :50:39.weariness to friendship. The transformation, he said, burst into
:50:40. > :50:44.life in that simple, very moving, highly significant commemoration of
:50:45. > :51:51.those who lost their lives in the cause of Irish freedom.
:51:52. > :51:54.Shortly, the Taoiseach will invite President Higgins to lead into the
:51:55. > :52:41.next part of the ceremony. The parade commander is Colonel
:52:42. > :52:42.Steven Howard. The research areas are drawn from the second military
:52:43. > :53:07.police Company. Ladies and gentlemen, please be
:53:08. > :53:14.upstanding for the wreath laying ceremony and women standing for the
:53:15. > :53:39.remaining of the survey. -- ceremony.
:53:40. > :54:09.In this centenary year, we honour the memory of those who died in 1916
:54:10. > :54:19.with the respect and dignity that is their G. And we cherish 100 years
:54:20. > :54:22.later the principles and the ideals contained in our proclamation for
:54:23. > :54:47.which they have fought. I now invite the President to lay a
:54:48. > :54:59.wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland in honour of all those who
:55:00. > :55:01.died. Speaking ahead of this ceremony, President Higgins said
:55:02. > :55:08.there is no single narrative of 1916, no monopoly over the
:55:09. > :55:15.interpretation of our history, even at the removal of a century, he
:55:16. > :55:18.said, the memory of 1916, while of importance and worthy of respect as
:55:19. > :55:24.the foundation of an event, still carries pain for many.
:55:25. > :55:28.Ladies and gentlemen, we will now serve a minute of silence. At the
:55:29. > :56:37.end of the minute, it will be marked by a muffled drum beat.
:56:38. > :56:43.On the defence forces website, we read they hold the seven people who
:56:44. > :56:50.signed the population in high regard. The seven barracks that make
:56:51. > :56:52.up the defence Force Vasek Pospisil turning centre are named after each
:56:53. > :56:57.of the signatories of the population. Now, the sounding of the
:56:58. > :58:29.last post. The poignant musical tribute that
:58:30. > :58:34.has sounded from battlefield two battlefield and from one remembrance
:58:35. > :58:40.to another. Ladies and gentlemen, the national flag above the General
:58:41. > :58:53.Post Office will now be hoisted to full mast. There will then be a
:58:54. > :58:55.fly-past from the air Corps. To commemorate the centenary, the
:58:56. > :59:01.defence forces have been given the do the job of delivering a copy of
:59:02. > :59:06.the proclamation and a tricolour to every one of more than 3000 primary
:59:07. > :59:10.schools. Thousands of secondary school pupils were presented with
:59:11. > :59:17.tricolours at a ceremony here in Dublin earlier this month. The flag
:59:18. > :59:26.modelled on the red white and blue revolutionary France, the... The
:59:27. > :59:31.White in the centre signified a lasting truce between Orange and
:59:32. > :59:35.Green. Trust, he said, beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants
:59:36. > :01:04.and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous heroic brotherhood.
:01:05. > :01:12.Six aircraft flown by instructors of the air Corps flying training school
:01:13. > :01:24.in wedge formation, 700 feet above O'Connell Street. As this ceremony
:01:25. > :01:28.concludes... Ladies and gentlemen, the annual commemorative ceremony
:01:29. > :01:33.will continue shortly with the march past the General Post Office by the
:01:34. > :01:47.20 16th Easter Parade. This portion of the ceremony is now concluded and
:01:48. > :01:51.you are invited sit. And now, the main parade moves on O'Connell
:01:52. > :01:55.Street from south of the river at O'Connell Bridge, passing at the
:01:56. > :01:59.Garden of remembrance. The garden built on the site where Irish
:02:00. > :02:03.Volunteers were founded the organisation was founded, in 1913.
:02:04. > :02:07.It was there that several leaders of the rebellion were held prisoner
:02:08. > :02:13.overnight before being taken to Kilmainham Gaol and execution. In a
:02:14. > :02:19.speech last June, President Higgins said engaging with the past is not
:02:20. > :02:24.easy. It involves a complex negotiation of the stories,
:02:25. > :02:29.memories, Hertz, legacies and emotions of all who recall 1916 or
:02:30. > :02:33.who are or were affected by the troubles. He went on, finding a fair
:02:34. > :02:37.and comprehensive way of dealing with the past will be a huge
:02:38. > :02:42.challenge, but a challenge that cannot be shirked. Those words will
:02:43. > :02:48.resonate with those who have witnessed this ceremony of
:02:49. > :02:54.celebration and reflection. Yes, as the parade burette -- prepares to
:02:55. > :03:00.pass along O'Connell Street we have Martina Devlin and our Dublin
:03:01. > :03:05.correspondence, Shane Harrison. Thankfully, the weather has held for
:03:06. > :03:08.the ceremony. Planned with precision, as all of these military
:03:09. > :03:16.events are. How did you think it went? The choreography work. For
:03:17. > :03:21.months we have banks did about whether it should be a commemoration
:03:22. > :03:25.or a celebration will stop people were conscious of sensitivities and
:03:26. > :03:30.the fact there was a lot of blood spilled during Easter week, but I
:03:31. > :03:33.feel a sense of celebration. I noticed it this morning when I was
:03:34. > :03:42.travelling in on public transport into the city centre. There was a
:03:43. > :03:49.happy note in the error. Is that the same with you Shane? There has been
:03:50. > :03:52.a big build-up in the media, of course, and among government
:03:53. > :03:58.officials. What about the general public? How are they taking this
:03:59. > :04:05.day? They will have witnessed a ceremony that was stirring, simple,
:04:06. > :04:08.solemn and almost sombre, because the shadow of the troubles and all
:04:09. > :04:13.the people who died here were commemorated in many ways in what
:04:14. > :04:17.the ceremony saw. As you join us, we can see an aerial shot of Dublin and
:04:18. > :04:23.you can see how many people are here and it is quite clear that this has
:04:24. > :04:28.really captured the imagination of the Irish public. I met a few
:04:29. > :04:31.parents and children on the way in and they were really quite excited
:04:32. > :04:38.about what was going to happen today. It is all very different from
:04:39. > :04:42.what happened in 1966 when Eamon de Valera was the Taoiseach. He took
:04:43. > :04:46.part in the 1916 Rising. He was to note that if you use later there
:04:47. > :04:50.would be the troubles erupted in Northern Ireland and the shadow of
:04:51. > :04:56.violence cast over so many 1916 parades down the years. How
:04:57. > :05:03.important has it been, is education, you could call it, of the Easter
:05:04. > :05:10.1916 Rising to the new generations? There has been a big programme in
:05:11. > :05:17.schools. I suppose a generation has grown up for whom 1916 meant little.
:05:18. > :05:22.In one sense, that is healthy. We cannot be prisoners of the past, but
:05:23. > :05:26.in another sense it is important to remember these people and to learn
:05:27. > :05:34.lessons from their behaviour. I think that that has come through in
:05:35. > :05:41.recent months and weeks. They were an exceptional generation, the 1916
:05:42. > :05:45.generation to stop they understood the importance of collaboration and
:05:46. > :05:50.the common good. They were self-sacrificing in a way which we
:05:51. > :06:02.are less so today. One of the aspects which there has been new
:06:03. > :06:08.attention is the way they were hoping all the people together would
:06:09. > :06:14.accept their Irishness, to celebrate their Irishness and this was not so
:06:15. > :06:22.usual. As the parade makes its way along the streets, let's go to Mark
:06:23. > :06:25.Simpson. I heard Shane Harrison talking about the comparisons with
:06:26. > :06:32.the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. How does today
:06:33. > :06:39.compare with what happened back in 1966? Here is someone who was there.
:06:40. > :06:41.You were there, you were 16 at the time, you are originally from
:06:42. > :06:48.Limerick and live in the United States. How did today compare? Back
:06:49. > :06:54.in 1966, the pride of women in the Rising was underplayed and there was
:06:55. > :06:58.very little about their enormous involvement and the part, they
:06:59. > :07:01.played was very underrated as well. In fact, you would see pictures of
:07:02. > :07:08.peers everywhere but very little of James Connolly. Especially trade
:07:09. > :07:15.unionists celebrated James Connolly by putting pictures of an album that
:07:16. > :07:23.was out by his son in Windows and pubs. That wouldn't have been the
:07:24. > :07:26.same crowds by any means. I was 16, so anything over ten people seemed a
:07:27. > :07:33.crowd but the street was pretty packed. It was quite the event. Was
:07:34. > :07:37.it all about the rebels and not anybody else? Very much so. It was
:07:38. > :07:42.about the men who fought in the post office. There wasn't even a mention
:07:43. > :07:48.of Constance Markievizc, let alone anyone else. Some Republicans think,
:07:49. > :07:52.that is the way it should be in terms of concentrating on the rebels
:07:53. > :07:59.and not everybody else. What do you think about the inclusive nature of
:08:00. > :08:10.today? Unless you include human hand and incredible struggle -- Cumann na
:08:11. > :08:17.mBan, the recent troubles were a war about women and they took the brunt
:08:18. > :08:27.of it. I think today is brilliant. People are supporting their history
:08:28. > :08:32.and the sun shone. Thank you both very much indeed. That is the latest
:08:33. > :08:36.from O'Connell Street. I have to say, it was quite a moment and with
:08:37. > :08:40.the crowd when the proclamation was read. People reliving history. You
:08:41. > :08:45.know what things are like, people are on their phones, taking photos,
:08:46. > :08:54.you could have heard a pin drop. It was quite a moment. You can hear the
:08:55. > :09:01.band behind me quite loud, hopefully not too loudly. Talking about the
:09:02. > :09:04.proclamation and what was written in it, Martina, you were interested in
:09:05. > :09:09.the proclamation today, grabbing hold of the copy that was given to
:09:10. > :09:14.you. What stands out in the proclamation today? This was handed
:09:15. > :09:19.to me as I walked to O'Connell Street. I paused to read it because
:09:20. > :09:24.it is a fascinating document, three paragraphs. There is a line that
:09:25. > :09:33.talks about cherishing the children of the nation equally. Sometimes,
:09:34. > :09:37.that is interpreted as a class reference, in fact, it is national
:09:38. > :09:43.list and unionist background. It is the idea that it doesn't matter
:09:44. > :09:46.where your state was originally, what country you originated in, it
:09:47. > :09:53.is about giving allegiance to the country you were born in and grew up
:09:54. > :09:58.in now. The idea that it is a united Irishmen's idea that, irrespective
:09:59. > :10:04.of gender, creed, class, that you can work together for the common
:10:05. > :10:10.good. I think that was a visionary ID that the men and women of 1916
:10:11. > :10:16.absorbed and advanced and perhaps it was lost subsequently fallen
:10:17. > :10:21.partition. The two states which developed really didn't take this
:10:22. > :10:26.ideal of on-board. It is a wonderful idea. There is something else about
:10:27. > :10:32.this document. It is the first line. Irish men and Irish women stop
:10:33. > :10:37.extraordinary 100 years ago that women were also being invoked and
:10:38. > :10:40.when you mentioned the schoolchildren, what they are
:10:41. > :10:48.learning about 1916, we are being reminded that women went out in 1916
:10:49. > :10:55.because not just national identity, but for suffrage. For equality, for
:10:56. > :11:00.women. Unfortunately, what happened is women were airbrushed out of
:11:01. > :11:03.history and were pushed to the sidelines and now the current
:11:04. > :11:10.generation is learning about these women. They are also learning about
:11:11. > :11:14.unionists who were part of 1916. People like Roger Casement, a very
:11:15. > :11:20.strong connection with Antrim, from a unionist background to stop a
:11:21. > :11:24.northern Protestant father, a southern Catholic mother. He
:11:25. > :11:29.connected with his national identity through the cultural movement, the
:11:30. > :11:33.idea that it was extraordinary, revolutionary to think you could be
:11:34. > :11:38.Irish as opposed to British and he really got that idea and ran with
:11:39. > :11:43.it. He has been studied and given his place in the Grampian. As the
:11:44. > :11:49.parade continues, we see both Irish men and Irish women making their
:11:50. > :11:54.way. Also, many veterans who have been part of the Armed Forces. When
:11:55. > :12:00.we talk about that proclamation and the young people getting involved.
:12:01. > :12:04.What do you think the definition of the Easter Rising is now for young
:12:05. > :12:08.people? Is it just a date in the diary or do you think there has been
:12:09. > :12:15.some sort of the rebirth of identity or nationalism because of this big
:12:16. > :12:20.centenary? I think there probably has been. I was struck a couple of
:12:21. > :12:23.weeks ago. I met the parents of children outside where I live and
:12:24. > :12:27.they were dressed up in their little costumes from the period going in
:12:28. > :12:32.and their parents were saying, they are gone in to fight the English, I
:12:33. > :12:43.will have to have a few words with them afterwards to put them right.
:12:44. > :12:53.I do detect there is a real sense of national pride in what has happened.
:12:54. > :12:57.I do sense also that historians are saying, 1916 probably was necessary
:12:58. > :13:03.if there was to be Irish independence. Home rule probably
:13:04. > :13:07.wouldn't have given Irish independence in that time frame.
:13:08. > :13:13.There is the alternative view by the former Taoiseach John Britton who
:13:14. > :13:16.said they would have been a referendum in the 1920s and Ireland
:13:17. > :13:21.would have got it freedom then but that is a point that nobody will
:13:22. > :13:25.ever know the truth of. Let's go back now to mark on the streets on
:13:26. > :13:29.O'Connell Street. We're going to get an Englishman 's
:13:30. > :13:37.view, a young person's view that you got to hear from an Irish mummy as
:13:38. > :13:41.well! Helen, now living in London. You've got your family back to see
:13:42. > :13:48.this? Yes, I thought it was very important, for our son to engage in
:13:49. > :13:51.his Irish heritage. This is such a momentous moment in history and I
:13:52. > :13:57.thought it was important for him. I'm not sure how much Irish history
:13:58. > :14:03.he is learning about in the UK. He is learning about the famine so it's
:14:04. > :14:07.important to come here. It was a remarkable ceremony, much more
:14:08. > :14:11.holistic than the 1966 commemoration. It's remembering some
:14:12. > :14:17.of the British Army who died and the civilians who died as well as the
:14:18. > :14:20.insurgents. What did you make of the ceremony as a whole, was an implicit
:14:21. > :14:26.in other? Think it was very inclusive and it was very solemn. We
:14:27. > :14:31.were helped by the weather and the music was wonderful. I think it has
:14:32. > :14:36.been done in the right spirit. What was the moment for you, was at the
:14:37. > :14:39.reading of the proclamation? The reading of the proclamation was very
:14:40. > :14:45.moving. I saw people in tears. I didn't cry but it was very moving
:14:46. > :14:53.but it was very modern in that it mentioned women. 100 years ago! Is
:14:54. > :15:00.great that Ireland has moved forward. Let's get a quick words
:15:01. > :15:07.from Bruno, did you learn anything? I learned a bit but mostly it was in
:15:08. > :15:11.Irish and I am not fluent in this difficult but I learned a bit about
:15:12. > :15:19.Ireland. A quick words with your dad. Guinness and Asians view of
:15:20. > :15:24.today? I have no specific point of view. I love a good pageant! It is
:15:25. > :15:33.obviously a very important occasion. There is an element of healing but
:15:34. > :15:40.very important and it is great to see and the good weather, it could
:15:41. > :15:47.be a pivotal moment. Who knows? In so far as the relationship between
:15:48. > :15:51.the UK or England specifically and Ireland has been served, this might
:15:52. > :15:57.be the moment in which some of the toxicity comes out of that
:15:58. > :16:01.relationship. Would you agree? I think it's a very good point. Thank
:16:02. > :16:05.you all for talking to me. The main point today coming from this is
:16:06. > :16:10.whether you agree with the Rising or not, no one can deny that it was a
:16:11. > :16:15.landmark moment in Irish history and just perhaps today will go down as a
:16:16. > :16:22.landmark moment as well. We all love a good pageant and this
:16:23. > :16:29.is the largest parade in the history of the country.
:16:30. > :16:33.As we look down on Dublin, we have glimpsed the monomers in O'Connell
:16:34. > :16:41.Street. History frozen in stone. It is" by monuments to two giants of
:16:42. > :16:44.constitutional nationalism. If you know that geography, Daniel
:16:45. > :16:47.O'Connell at the southern end, Charles Parnell at the Northern,
:16:48. > :16:53.engraved on the Parnell wonderment are his words, no man has the right
:16:54. > :17:00.to fix the boundary and these monuments, I suppose, or reminders
:17:01. > :17:05.that the militant must not the majority strand of nationalism in
:17:06. > :17:11.1916. Most people favoured home rule in limited form and then you have
:17:12. > :17:16.the monument to James Barkan, arms outstretched in that magic gesture.
:17:17. > :17:18.The man George Bernard Shaw described as the greatest Irishman
:17:19. > :17:24.since Parnell, founder of the General workers union, he did so
:17:25. > :17:29.much of his work in Belfast before moving to Dublin. He wanted the
:17:30. > :17:36.Irish Citizen Army to form a force along the lines of Carson's UVF but
:17:37. > :17:40.it was James Connolly who formed it into a weapons for his own use and
:17:41. > :17:44.demanded a commitment to revolution with the goal of an Irish
:17:45. > :17:49.Independent republic. He used Liberty Hall as his space. James
:17:50. > :17:52.Connolly declares and we can reflect on today's ceremony as we look down
:17:53. > :17:59.over Dublin and look at the streets, the Republic I would wish, he said,
:18:00. > :18:03.is the ideal should be of such a character that the mere mention of
:18:04. > :18:07.its name would at all times serve as a beacon light to the oppressed of
:18:08. > :18:11.every land. That republic was declared and suppressed. It was a
:18:12. > :18:20.field rebellion but it was a pivotal moment in Irish history. Leading
:18:21. > :18:26.ultimately to independence. There were many other ceremonies
:18:27. > :18:32.this morning. One Took Place at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. One
:18:33. > :18:37.wreath was laid at the grave of Edward Hollywood and he was the
:18:38. > :18:43.Weaver of the first Irish tricolour in 1848, the green, white and orange
:18:44. > :18:48.based on a French flag. A wreath was also laid at the grave of the man
:18:49. > :18:54.who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem, the soldiers song. Glasnevin
:18:55. > :18:59.Cemetery is very well known for graves of Irish rebels and also on a
:19:00. > :19:06.daily occurrence, and actor plays the role of Padraig Pearse and reads
:19:07. > :19:12.out the oration that he made at the funeral which seems to ignite the
:19:13. > :19:16.rebels into their fight towards Easter 1916. On that note of
:19:17. > :19:22.Glasnevin Cemetery, a memorial wall will be unveiled next month and it
:19:23. > :19:28.will have the names of all those who died in the Easter Rising. Something
:19:29. > :19:33.that not everyone agrees with? That's right, some of those,
:19:34. > :19:35.particularly relatives of the 1916 think that some of the names of
:19:36. > :19:41.British soldiers and policemen should not be on the wall. There are
:19:42. > :19:46.others who say, no, it all has to be very inclusive to reflect that Anglo
:19:47. > :19:55.Irish relations have moved on in the last period. That note of
:19:56. > :19:59.inclusivity, one thing I did notice today, so many visitors and people
:20:00. > :20:05.from all around the world, I suppose it is connecting with the day after
:20:06. > :20:12.a? Yes, I spoke to ending this man whose grandfather was in with
:20:13. > :20:16.President Eamon de Valera and he said, did you know there were no
:20:17. > :20:20.women allowed in the garrison? He didn't so we had a discussion about
:20:21. > :20:23.that. I said that contemporary reports at the time showed that some
:20:24. > :20:27.of the men were not too pleased about Eamon de Valera banning the
:20:28. > :20:30.women because they had to do all the cooking! You can have a laugh about
:20:31. > :20:35.it as well and it's important that you don't get too hung up on the
:20:36. > :20:40.grid things. One of the questions is, does it have any contemporary
:20:41. > :20:48.resonance? Is it all just a costume drama, or even triumphalism, God
:20:49. > :20:53.forbid? I think that there are lessons that can be learned from it
:20:54. > :21:00.and for me, I see, ironically, more than ever now, a fortress Ulster
:21:01. > :21:03.mentality and a fortress island mentality. They could be so much
:21:04. > :21:10.more cooperation between the two parts of this island in terms of
:21:11. > :21:16.tourism, trade, culture, health care, so many areas of common
:21:17. > :21:20.interest. I think it would be wonderful if 2016 and the centenary
:21:21. > :21:27.could be used as a springboard to advance that cooperation.
:21:28. > :21:31.Unfortunately there are no senior Unionists present here but it is
:21:32. > :21:38.behind the eye the British ambassador to Ireland and when I was
:21:39. > :21:42.on the streets, I see that Mike heard people referencing Queen
:21:43. > :21:45.Elizabeth's visit recently and mentioning how she bowed her head
:21:46. > :21:52.before the Republican dead and that resonated with people and it is a
:21:53. > :21:57.reminder that it has never been, I believe, and anti-conditioners but
:21:58. > :22:03.an anti-imperialism. Imperialism is not good for a colonised people, is
:22:04. > :22:11.only good but the colonised. If you think 2016, how those Anglo Irish
:22:12. > :22:14.relations have changed in the past 100 years? 1916 has often been
:22:15. > :22:21.described as a rising of poets and perhaps the most famous pawn about
:22:22. > :22:25.it was written by W B Yeats in which he said a terrible beauty has been
:22:26. > :22:29.born. If you look at relations now, you would have to say they are very
:22:30. > :22:35.far from terrible but beautiful, that might be stretching it a bit!
:22:36. > :22:39.As Martina has just said, there is no representative of the Unionist
:22:40. > :22:43.community here, even though the Queen, five years ago, went to the
:22:44. > :22:46.Garden of remembrance and bowed in honour of those Irish men and women
:22:47. > :22:50.who gave their lives for Irish freedom. Before we are drowned out
:22:51. > :22:55.by the band, we return to Mark Simpson to see who he has been
:22:56. > :22:58.talking to on the street! This is a real cross-section of
:22:59. > :23:05.people here. The show man is from Armagh, one from Fermanagh and you
:23:06. > :23:11.are from New York. They have you brought with you? My daughter. What
:23:12. > :23:21.have you made of today? We are just so happy and excited to be here. I
:23:22. > :23:24.have been in New York for 40 years, originally from Dublin so I brought
:23:25. > :23:32.her over to see the parade to celebrate the anniversary. The last
:23:33. > :23:36.time I was here was in 1966 at the 50th anniversary so it is a special
:23:37. > :23:41.day. What was the one moment today that you will always remember? When
:23:42. > :23:49.they raised the flags and sign the national anthem, it was brilliant
:23:50. > :23:54.and I really enjoyed it. We're going to hear from somebody north of the
:23:55. > :23:57.border. Did you come here for the weekend or did you have an early
:23:58. > :24:04.start this morning? We came here this morning. Left the house at
:24:05. > :24:10.about 8am. Was it worth it? Oh yes, a brilliant ceremony. Good to be
:24:11. > :24:15.here and to be part of it. Who is this with you? This is my son 's
:24:16. > :24:23.friend. What was the moment of the day for you? When the tanks went by,
:24:24. > :24:34.definitely! The final would to this young man from Armagh. Why do Joe
:24:35. > :24:43.come today? Just for the day. How will you but today? What is the
:24:44. > :24:48.moment you always remember, was a proclamation, the raising of the
:24:49. > :24:52.flags? The National Anthem. What has the mood been like in the crowd
:24:53. > :24:57.here? Berry good. You must have been here early? Yes. The main parade
:24:58. > :25:08.passing but these people are not moving!
:25:09. > :25:14.One thing we all seem to be living today by the pipes and drums, so
:25:15. > :25:19.many bands walking along and as the parade is passing the GPO, held does
:25:20. > :25:22.it look to you, Seamus? There are those who say that by making the
:25:23. > :25:29.Rising defining moment of stated, there is a danger especially if it
:25:30. > :25:33.is commemorated in too militaristic away, that revolutionary values are
:25:34. > :25:38.somehow elevated above the democratic virtues that have made
:25:39. > :25:44.Ireland the political entity but it is. As we look at that automatic
:25:45. > :25:49.monument, but familiar at Oracle pose of his, but it's always worth
:25:50. > :25:52.remembering that today's Irish Defence Forces are known for their
:25:53. > :25:57.contribution to peace keeping around the world and dozens of soldiers
:25:58. > :26:05.have given their lives in missions on several continents. Mounted by
:26:06. > :26:11.the UN and European union. There are so many fascinating dimensions to
:26:12. > :26:17.the memories and historical recollections stirred by these
:26:18. > :26:22.events. In 1916, Unionists applauded the imposition by the British
:26:23. > :26:26.government of martial law during the Easter week and they urged that what
:26:27. > :26:33.they saw as nationalists should not be rewarded. Lord Carson called it a
:26:34. > :26:40.shame brought upon Ireland but when the courts martial of the rebel
:26:41. > :26:43.leaders began, their leader, Edward Carson, urged caution. It will be a
:26:44. > :26:49.matter requiring the greatest wisdom, he said, whatever is done,
:26:50. > :26:52.let it be done not in a moment of temporary excitement but with
:26:53. > :27:03.deliberation and regard to the past and the future. Something more to
:27:04. > :27:06.contemplate. We have talked a lot about the past
:27:07. > :27:13.today. Tomorrow is another day, it is the future and lots planned in
:27:14. > :27:19.the city but definitely these were the younger generation is looking to
:27:20. > :27:21.the future? Today is about official Ireland remembering 1916 and
:27:22. > :27:29.tomorrow it will be the people. This area will be full of actuaries,
:27:30. > :27:32.walking tours mother will be a general hilly and a car exhibition
:27:33. > :27:36.in Merrion Square. Lots happening and that will bring hundreds of
:27:37. > :27:49.thousands people into the city centre tomorrow.
:27:50. > :27:57.A cultural revolution underpinned the military revolution, if you
:27:58. > :28:02.like. I saw a little boy coming in here aged seven with his
:28:03. > :28:05.grandfather's medals pinned to his jacket and I asked what they were
:28:06. > :28:12.for and he didn't know that he thought they were lovely objects and
:28:13. > :28:18.his dad said we will explain to him when he is older. I think the idea
:28:19. > :28:23.is to put it in a much more nuanced context than good guys and bad guys
:28:24. > :28:31.and who is on whose side. I think that is important. It is important
:28:32. > :28:35.as well... Sorry to interrupt you, we see the helicopters flying over
:28:36. > :28:41.O'Connell Street. We had a fly-past aerial display earlier ending the
:28:42. > :28:48.ceremony and now the helicopters making quite a lot of noise and
:28:49. > :28:52.quite a spectacle. You were saying. There are all sorts of
:28:53. > :28:58.interpretations of Irishness, from this and whatever you are having
:28:59. > :29:02.yourself, one of the National casting identity ideas is the plucky
:29:03. > :29:10.underdog taking on... We will leave it there for now. I cannot help
:29:11. > :29:14.thinking of the words of Saint Ingleton, the journalist and
:29:15. > :29:21.commentator, the past, he says, is wildly unpredictable. The memory of
:29:22. > :29:25.the Easter Rising has been altered by the question, isn't over yet? The
:29:26. > :29:30.struggle has always been to decide whether it is history and current
:29:31. > :29:36.affairs, done and dusted unfinished business. Perhaps today this is a
:29:37. > :29:41.symbol of an Ireland moving on. As many have said, mature enough to
:29:42. > :29:48.reconfigure its relationships with unionism and with Britain in the
:29:49. > :29:58.last 20 of the 100 years since that pivotal moment in 1916. It really
:29:59. > :30:01.has been a day of great spectacle, pomp and ceremony. Everything
:30:02. > :30:07.planned with military precision. Really enjoyed by all of the crowds,
:30:08. > :30:12.the throngs of people who have lined the streets starting over at Stephen
:30:13. > :30:16.'s Green where the parade began, winding its way through the streets
:30:17. > :30:21.of Dublin to the GPO here and the military parade will continue and
:30:22. > :30:27.will end on a 21 gun salute. We have watched here are the main ceremony
:30:28. > :30:30.at the GPO and as the remainder of that parade continues, we are trying
:30:31. > :30:37.our special BBC programme to a close. Our colleagues on BBC radio
:30:38. > :30:44.Ulster and our News website are continuing live coverage of this
:30:45. > :30:50.commemoration. Have a look at the website. If you are looking for
:30:51. > :30:54.background and special reports on the Easter Rising you can find all
:30:55. > :31:01.of that on a dedicated website from the BBC. Many thousands of people
:31:02. > :31:06.are still on the streets of Dublin locations very different from 100
:31:07. > :31:10.years ago. Today we have a quiet reflection and music, replacing the
:31:11. > :31:15.sounds of another century in those very same places, sons of gun and
:31:16. > :31:26.shellfire. It is a changed time with the changed context.