BBC Newsline Special - Centenary of the Easter Rising BBC Newsline

Welcome to Dublin and our special programme marking

Today is very much the centrepiece of the commemoration

In just over half an hour's time, we'll

see the full ceremonial formality, right here in O'Connell Street

at the General Post Office, the GPO, the scene of some of the heaviest

A military parade is already underway.

It is weaving its way through the city, passing

through many of the locations intimately connected with the events

It will be a day of very mixed emotions, meaning different

For many who have a link to the Rising, there

What happened a century ago had all sorts

The organisers have stressed they want

these anniversary events to be mindful of all those

who lost their lives during the course of the Rising,

rebels, soldiers, police officers, civilians, unionists,

In total, more than 480 people.

We will hear more about that in a moment and I will be joined

by some commentators here at this incredible

vantage point right opposite the GPO.

BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson is with some of the crowd

People have been here since seven o'clock this morning to get the best

spot on O'Connell Street. People of all ages from all parts of the

world. There is a woman from Germany, a man from Argentina. Lots

and lots of people from Scotland. There must be nobody left in Glasgow

today. Let's take a closer look. The crowd stretches down O'Connell

Street. I'd bump into people from Belfast, Armagh, Newry, Sligo, from

Dundalk and from Dublin. It is a big day for Dublin, not just if you are

Republican, but if you are curious. As you can see, I am close to the

GPU, about 500 metres away. The crowd are being kept a little way

back, but of the 1916 rebels. There is a special place for them. A

grandstand altered the GPU, including the relatives of of the

late James Connolly. I have been speaking to his great grandson who

is here from San Francisco and he told me he is really excited to be

here in Dublin. Connelly has always been a part of my life. He has been

on my work since I was a baby. My father was driven by James Connolly.

He was constantly reminding me growing up that James Connolly was

your great-grandfather and that you have a personal... Not only a

connection, but a responsibility to do the right thing, to treat people

as equals, to bring people together and I have tried to do that my whole

life and even as a police officer I have tried to do that. I can tell

you, he is quite a character. He told me he is a police officer in

San Francisco, a rifle instructor. He said guns run in the family. It

is worth remembering there were incidents in a few other parts of

the country in 1916, in counties Wexford, Galway and me is and we

heard about people coming from Scotland. I spoke to a couple from

Glasgow who are here because one of their relatives took part in an

attack on a police barracks in Ashbourne in County Meath. It police

officers, to Irish Volunteers and a civilian were killed during what was

a lengthy gun battle in that village. Yet another reminder of the

loss of life. The Rising was largely confined to Dublin and it was right

across the street here on the steps of the GPU, with just if you bemused

passers-by, as an audience that one of the rebel leaders, Padraig

Pearse, read the proclamation of the Irish Republic. Shane Harrison is

with me. You have been trying to distil some of the core fact of

history that have been embellished through the years. The right to

mention that a lot of the countryside to Dublin took no part

in the Rising. There was huge confusion about whether the planned

rebellion would go ahead after an arms shipment from Germany, overseen

by Sir Roger Casement, was intercepted of Kerry by the British.

There were three groups involved, the Irish Citizen Army, which was

made up of mostly trade union activists. It is best known leaders

were James Connolly and Countess Constance Markievizc. Then, that was

the biggest single group, the Irish Volunteers, formed in 1913 in

response to the formation of the Ulster volunteers during the Home

Rule Crisis the previous year. Inside it was a secret radical

group, the IRB, the Irish Republican Brotherhood. As Easter 1916

approached, they were pushing for armed insurrection overruled at the

last minute by the leadership because of what happened to the

German guns. The IRB and the Citizen Army proceeded with the rebellion

alleyway, foreshadowing a long-running debate in Irish

nationalism. The gun versus politics. Battered and bruised, 100

years ago it was from the GPU that Padraig Pearse proclaimed the

Republic. The Rising that lasted several days left a city in ruins

with nearly 500 dead, predictably, mostly civilians. The rebellion took

place against a background of delayed home rule and tens of

thousands of Irish men dying on the Western Front in the First World

War. While most people see the events of Easter week as a key

moment in Irish independence, a former Taoiseach believes the blood

sacrifice involved was unnecessary. After all, Scotland had an

independence referendum two years ago. I think Ireland would have had

a referendum or some other consultation in the 1920s or the

1930s. Looking for a much greater independence, if not complete

independence. I think, unlike Scotland, it would have passed

because in the Irish case, people wanted independence for its own

sake, not because of financial advantages or perceived financial

advantages, which seemed to weigh a lot in the Scottish mind. East of

making 16 was part of the insurrectionary tradition in Irish

nationalism but there was also a Parliamentary one. It is estimated

at only a third of the people had the thought that the town because of

property qualifications and a lack of female suffrage. Unlike John

Bruton, the president believes the Rising was necessary. I think the

balance now amongst historians, not just here, but abroad and in Britain

as well, is that it did need this event and it is this an event which

gave us the space and the capacity for independence and freedom. In

1918, men and women voted overwhelmingly in southern Ireland

for Sinn Fein, with its aims similar to those of the rebels. In the

north, unionists got a similar mandate, almost a petition of sorts.

According to the estimates which do vary, more than half of those killed

during the Rising and in the days afterwards, or civilians. That is

some 260 people. More than 100 to the soldiers and 80 rebels were also

killed and 17 policemen lost their lives. Three of those policemen or

from the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the others were from the Royal Irish

Constabulary, which released the rest of the country. Mark since and

has been speaking to a relative of one police officer who was killed

during the Rising. One of the striking features of the day is the

fact that the Irish government were going out of the way to remember the

1916 rebels, but all of those who died 100 years ago this weekend.

Including police officers, including 23-year-old Constable Charles

McGhee. The young Catholic from County Donegal who was killed in

County Louth as disturbances spread around the country. His relatives

are here, including his grand niece, Doctor Marge O'Boyle. I spoke to

earlier. I am proud that the memory of Charles McGhee is finally being

recognised after 100 years. There was no mention of victims of the

Rising up until now in all the commemorations of the 1916 Rising,

only the leaders and those who proclaimed the Republic, were

mentioned. Only they were commemorated. Now, I think this year

that victims like Charles McGhee are being recognised. I set out to

ensure that his memory would live down through the generations and I

know now that I have finally achieved that. I will be very proud.

So many people, so many fascinating stories. I will be speaking to some

of the crowd. Easter in the calendar is a movable feast. It is

particularly early this year and it is important to note that the gate

does not represent the actual anniversary. The Rising began on

Easter Monday 1916 and that was the 24th of April. We are expecting the

main ceremony to begin here at the GPO shortly. Some events have

already taken place this morning and getting us through the formalities,

from our commentary position, is my colleague, Seamus McKee. We are

watching the arrivals of the dignitaries, the Taoiseach and

president. Dublin, a city that piece this morning. This time 100 years

ago it was a city unsuspecting. This morning, it is expected. Conscious

of a moment in history being relived. Earlier this morning there

was a military ceremony at a place which perhaps more than any other

transform the narrative. Kilmainham Gaol. The prison with the leaders

and others were executed turning the Rising into what some have described

as a triumph of failure. In the weeks after the Rising 14 of the

rebels, including all seven signatories of the Proclamation

faced firing squads in the Stonebraker's yard at Kilmainham.

This morning, Reeves were left where they died. Among those attending the

president, the Taoiseach and government ministers. They observed

a minute 's silence. The executions took place here between the third

and the 4th of May 1816. The first to die was Padraig Pearse. In a

letter to his mother two days before his death he wrote, people will say

hard things others now, but we shall be remembered by posterity and

blessed by unborn generations. The executions market at Kilmainham

Gaol this morning, as much as the Rising itself, helped change the

course of history. The defence minister being welcomed

to this ceremonial. President Higgins now on his way to his place

here at the GPO. He has referred, prior to this commemoration, to the

discrimination against women that persisted into the early years of

the free State. And the work that remained to be done, he said, if the

Republic is to live up to the dreams of revolutionary women of the last

100 years. These are the words of the poet, but Higgins. I write it

out in a verse, she said, Constance Markiewicz, may more, Kathleen Lynn,

Rose McNamara, Kitty Fleming. The men of 1916, she wrote, did not sit

back and wait in the wings of history. As the ceremonial unfolds,

these are some of the reflections prompted by it today.

Many of the relatives of those who took part in the Rising

Earlier this week we heard from the grandchildren of three

My grandfather on my mother 's side was a determined in the factory

during the Rising. He was in various locations around O'Connell Street.

He got out, he was one of the lucky ones, he survived it. He was not

jailed at the end of it. That was his participation in it. Molly

O'Reilly was 15 years of age when she participated in the Rising. The

year before, she joined the Irish Citizen Army and was based in

Liberty Hall full-time and witness statements that has been said that

Molly was the most trusted messenger. It week before the

Rising, James Connolly centre her and she thought she was in trouble

but he sent for her and he asked her to hoist first flagged over Liberty

Hall. It was to declare that far part of Dublin three of imperialism.

My grandfather Frank Henderson was a captain in the GPO Garrison, as also

was his brother. They went into the GPO and they had prisoners with them

and they were being shot at by their own because they saw the prisoners,

their British uniforms. James Connolly had to rush out into the

street and tell them, stop, stop! They got into the GPO and Padraig

Pearse congratulated them because they never thought they would make

it in. But Frank and his brother were then continuously in the

action, if you can call it that. They were charged to burrow through

the buildings. When they were arrested, he was there with some of

the leaders. They were marched down to the Rotunda. They were kept there

overnight and in terrible conditions. He was one of the last

to leave the GPO and he was one of the last to leave, he got out on

Christmas Eve 1916. All the leaders, they were not men of violence, they

were not the literary people, they were poets and scholars, writers and

teachers. They had a vision for Ireland and what had happened under

British rule, all the Irishness was taken out, you were not allowed to

speak the Irish language, you were put in jail. My own grandfather, he

lost his job because when the king of England was coming over on a

visit, he refused to go out and waive the union Jack flag and he

lost his job because of that. I think it was right for

self-determination which is a right that has only come into its own in

the latter half of the last century. We were a very old nation, a young

state. As then 100 years of state and I think these were visionaries.

It wasn't their intent for violence. It was an intent for

self-determination, against oppression and a right to be

independent. They wanted their own Republican recognition along with

the culture and all the good things that go with it. That is what they

were aiming for at the end of the day. It's just the way things turned

out. Among the civilians who died

in Easter week was a child of 22 The names of just

a handful of the dead They were among

the rebel leadership. All of the names will be

on a memorial wall to be unveiled With me now is Jane Ohlmeyer,

Professor of Modern History As we look back to the rebel

leaders, an eclectic group of people, veteran republicans, poets,

socialists. How did that leadership gel together? The first thing is, it

is a motley crew, none of them had military experience so we would have

Thomas Clarke, the most senior figure. He would have been a great

opinion leader who had been incarcerated in a British jail for

15 years and was passionate about the republican movement. Alongside

him, we had people who were very committed, not just Irish separatism

but also to cultural naturalism. Four of the seven centuries of the

proclamation were actually playwrights. They were committed to

begin a clique and the Irish language and creating a new Ireland.

We can see the Taoiseach writhing for the ceremony outside the GPO.

The place has a lot of military personnel here today. That is

something not uncommon at the time of the Rising in 1916. How did that

military aspect confuse matters are complicated matters for the rebels

in the fighting? You must remember that Ireland and Britain were in the

middle of a Great War that had begun in 1914 and so you would have had a

lot of military personnel, British personnel, may be back on leave.

Over 250,000 Irishmen served to fight in a Great War and of course

many of them died in Flanders at the Somme. It was a very, very important

aspect of it. The fate of the civilians during the Rising, many

wondered, many died, 40 children died in the Rising. That seems to

have come to prominence more in recent times. How has that changed

the story of the Rising? It has helped to humanise the story of the

Rising but it shouldn't surprise us that there were many civilian deaths

is because here we are in book on Wall Street and there would have

been a lot of tenement buildings around this main city street and

these were some of the worst tenements in Western Europe and

people would have been leading extremely poor with high mortality

rates, high unemployment and of course many of these men had gone to

take the Kings chilling in the Great War so there was some income coming

back but the fact that the rebels decided to take the GPO is very

significant because it meant they would be a that houses. We can see

pictures, the parade started at Saint Stephen 's Green, and will

arrive here outside the GPO O'Connell Street. Outside the GPO,

Padraig Pearse, the rebel leader, read out the proclamation. If we

look at that in the context of 2016, how radical was that proclamation

and what was contained in it, the words that the leaders had written?

At one level, it was a very hasty manifesto that has been drawn up but

of course, it was hugely symbolic blow Padraig Pearse would have read

it to a rather Bob The Builder grip of onlookers but anyway, it declares

Ireland was to be a sovereign republic, it invokes the years of

occupation and also recites the six other occasions that Irishmen had

taken up arms against Britain. There was a real sense of equality, Irish

and Irishwoman, no doubt these where James Connolly 's words as much as

Padraig Pearse's as we don't actually know who wrote the

proclamation. There were seven signatories and Thomas Clarke is the

first is the most senior signatory. The other thing about the

proclamation is that it was very much a blood sacrifice. Padraig

Pearse new at the could not take on the might of the British Army so it

was going to end as a Greek tragedy, some have said. You spoke about the

small, bemused group of bystanders. Today the streets of Dublin are

thronged with people who have come here for the spectacle, come to

remember. For the people of 1916, there wasn't a general welcome for

the rebellion straight after. How radical or drastic was the change of

opinion once the rebels were executed? There was a little support

for the rebellion initially and it was only as the British authorities

began to execute the leaders but also they rounded up thousands who

had very little to do with the Rising so what we see is very

quickly popular opinion starting to shift here in Ireland but also in

Britain and United States. However it shouldn't take away from the

significance of what happened here because what it did lead to of

course was an unstoppable process that resulted in the separation of

Ireland from Great Britain and of course the partition of North and

South. We can see pictures now of the cavalcade coming up O'Connell

Street appear to the GPO which was effectively in ruins and much of the

street was in ruins after the bombardment by the British forces of

the rebels. The facade has been kept intact but this would have been a

completely different scene 100 years ago Al-Hasawi there was utter

devastation here. The facade is all that survives in terms of the GPO

but all of the area around Laura O'Connell Street had been blasted by

a British ship which had come up the River Liffey and it really was utter

devastation. Here we are, the second city of the British Empire, utterly

destroyed by the British themselves. The President, Michael D Higgins has

just arrived. Being greeted by the Taoiseach. We are approaching the

formalities of today. And the commemoration of the 1916. At the

moment at least, the rain has stayed off. It is a nice, dry atmosphere

and nice weather for all of the crowds that are lining the street.

Let's go back to Mark Simpson on the ground here outside the GPO.

I am with people from Kilkenny. Explain Whiteley decided to make the

journey today? My husband is a member of the defence forces so he

is working here today. I have two sons also members of the defence

forces and my nephew is marching as part of the parade today so very

proud to be here and excited as well. What is your feeling about the

public mood today in Dublin? The public mood is really, really good.

It is a great day for the Irish people. We are blessed with the

weather as well. A lot of people have been looking forward to this

day and a huge amount of preparation has taken place so it's just

wonderful that all of the Irish people can share in all of this and

we are in the capital city and right beside the GPO where it all

occurred. What do you say to the critics who say that Irish people

just dwell too much on the past and you are dragging it all up again?

Have to celebrate our country and let's go forward. We wish you well

and we hope it stays dry. The ceremony is about to start. Let

me sing Chewbacca Seamus McKee. President begins moving to his

place. Two former presidents are here, Robinson and McAleese. When

the Queen visited in 2011, she said, Madam President, speaking here in

Dublin Castle, it is important -- impossible to ignore the weight of

history. As it was when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of

remembrance. They did that in memory of those who died for Irish freedom.

The weight of history so much in evidence. The Royal College of

surgeons was one of the garrisons occupied by the rebels during Easter

week. Earlier there was ceremony there are. They retreated to The

Royal College of surgeons. During that ceremony, two flags were

handed over, the Irish Republic flag and the Starry Plough flag. The

Irish Republic flag flown over the GPO in O'Connell Street. It was the

headquarters of the provisional government of Ireland. The flag was

kept as it were a trophy and became the property of the King George V.

The starry plough was the flag of the Irish Citizen Army created by a

Belfast artist. He taught in the School of Art in Dublin. As the

president reviews his escort, in 1916, that flag, the starry plough,

flew from the Hotel opposite the GPO. It was thought to have been

destroyed but survived and was taken as a souvenir by a British officer.

The National Museum of Ireland got the flag from him in 1955. That

speak again to Professor Jane. 100 years on, have the events today

drawn a line under the past and put the Rising 100 years ago? I think it

is important that we never forget the past, because it has shipped us

and who we are. Ie The feeling that this has given us a great

opportunity to reimagine a new Ireland, and Ireland for the

21st-century, and Ireland that really impresses pluralism and

diversity. I feel it is an important moment as we look to the future as

well as remembering the past. Edmund Burke said those who do not know

history risk repeating it. This week is very much been about remembering

the past and reigniting that in regard to the minds of the new and

present generation. That is very important. It is also very important

we remember that the events that occurred here in 1916 also had

global resonances. We saw it impact across the British Empire. Minutes

away now from the start of the ceremony which will be at the heart

of the commemoration today. Worth remembering that the defence forces

we are seeing on parade today are serving very much a peaceful purpose

as they have done on so many occasions in so many places around

the world. They trace their history back to the Irish Volunteers founded

in 1913 in Dublin, among whose founders were Eoin MacNeill and

Patrick Pearse. The cap badge of the present defence forces is derived

from the barge of the Irish Volunteers. It was designed by

Professor McNay himself. Born in County Antrim, educated at Saint

Malachy 's College in Belfast. Frances Johnson's imposing structure

of stone and granite as the president takes place salute in

front of it, brings grandeur to O'Connell Street as it has done for

200 years. The GPO, a centre of business and public service today

becomes, as it does every Easter Sunday, but today it is a place of

commemoration, remembrance, but today particularly considerable

pageantry. In the centre window, on the ground floor, barely visible

from outside, Oliver Shepherd's Bronze statue of Cuchulain, a

memorial to the participants in the Rising, inscribed with the names of

the seven signatories of the proclamation. A former assertion of

the Irish Republic as a sovereign, independent state and the

declaration of rights. Ladies and gentlemen. The national

flag over the General Post Office will now be lowered to half-mast.

This, the protocol, the flag lowered to half-mast for every

commemoration. Above the pillared portico is,

statues of mercury and fidelity. Ladies and gentlemen, the head

chaplain to the forces, Father Seamus Madigan, will now lead us

prayer. He has served on peacekeeping missions in Kosovo,

Chad and 11 on. Edge and the letting on. A prayer of remembrance. God

most merciful and kind, on this Easter day of new beginnings we

remember the men, the women and the children of 1916 whose short lives

and big dreams extended the horizons of our hopes. In your mercy, the

faithful departed find rest. Look kindly, we pray, one all who lost

their lives during 1916 and throughout the troubled journey of

our island. As we reflect on our past, we thank you for all the

courageous people of Ireland who dared to hope and dream of a

brighter tomorrow for our country and all of its citizens. Bless it

are those who sought to build a more inclusive and just society, for they

are truly the chosen of God. Look kindly, we pray, on the people of

Ireland from all traditions, at home and abroad. Help us listen and

respond to the voices that challenge in 2016 as we reimagine our future.

Conscious of our troubled past, to you God, we sing a new song, a song

of compassion, inclusion and engagement. A song of listening,

social justice and respect. A song of unity, diversity, equality and

peace. A song of Kidman Failte and respect our environment. With you, O

Lord, we yearn to sing a new song in a spirit of true freedom. Loving you

know Mike Friel heart and my frayed history and now, another day begins.

Give us courage to step onto new ground, I young again with energy

and dreams. Help us to believe in beginnings, to listen to the voices

that challenge and to sing a new song for Ireland. Together, on this

island, we have achieved a new peace. We cherish that peace as we

cherish all of the children of this island equally. We pray for all

those who have suffered in the troubles of the past century and we

hope for peace and reconciliation in the century that stretches before

us. Praise God for ever. I now invite

children from each of the four provinces of Ireland to lay flowers

on this historic ground as a symbol of our unshakeable resolve to live

together on this island in peace and harmony. And now a piper plays a

lament as the children representing the four provinces lay flowers. From

Commack, Liam Henry from County Mayo, he is ten. From Munster, Alex

Lucas from Waterford. From Ulster, Tony O'Brien, from County Antrim, he

is ten. 38 children were killed but Easter week. Among them, Christopher

Cathcart, aged ten, shot dead in crossfire at Portobello Bridge. He

was one of nine children who shared a six room house with three other

families. William Mullen from Miller Street was nine. He was shot as

rebels retreated. He died at home without medical attention just a few

hundred yards from where this ceremony is taking place. Walter

Scott was it. The last child to die as a result of being shot in the

week of the Rising. He was killed at the east Wall by a bullet from the

British gunship Helga. And now, the combined feature the

band featuring band members from both bands will play Danny boy to

the chewing of the Londonderry air. The song was published just a few

years before the rebellion. The lyrics chime with the young men

going to war on the Western Front and with those who joined the fight

for Irish freedom. James Connolly and Michael Mullen, two of the

leaders of the rebellion, had previously served in the British

Army. Connolly's brother, John, was still serving at the time of the

Rising. 41 Irish men in the British Army died in action during the

Easter week. Lance Corporal Nathanial Morton from the race --

Royal Irish Fusiliers. He was 19, from Belfast. Private Joseph Cullen,

from the shackle in Belfast was with the Fusiliers. Rifleman James

McCullough from Donaghadee was killed. Alexander Maclennan of the

rifles is buried in Grey Abbey Cemetery. Private John Hannah from

Belfast was another among the British dead.

The proclamation we are about to hear invokes the dead generations.

In this year of centenary is, the different traditions on this island

are reflecting on feeling excluded from the commemorations or if there

is anything that unites them in honouring their cherished dead.

The proclamation will be read by Captain Peter Kelleher from Cork. He

joined the defence forces. While the proclamation, or after it

is read, the military band will play again.

Irishmen and Irishwomen: In the name of God and of the dead generations

from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood,

Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag

Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret

revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood,

and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers

and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her

discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal

itself, she now seizes that moment, and supported by her exiled children

in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first

on her own strength, she strikes in full

We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership

of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies,

The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government

has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished

except by the destruction of the Irish people.

In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right

to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three

hundred years they have asserted it in arms.

Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms

in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic

as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives

and the lives of our comrades in arms to the cause of its freedom,

of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.

The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance

The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights

and equal opportunities to all its citizens,

and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity

of the whole nation and of all its parts,

cherishing all of the children of the nation equally,

and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien

Government, which have divided a minority from the

Until our arms have brought the opportune moment

for the establishment of a permanent National Government,

representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected

by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional

Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil

and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.

We place the cause of the Irish Republic under

the protection of the Most High God, Whose blessing we invoke

upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause

will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine.

In this supreme hour the Irish nation must,

by its valour and discipline, and by the readiness of its children

to sacrifice themselves for the common good,

prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.

Signed on behalf of the Provisional Government:

Thomas J Clarke, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, PH Pearse,

Eamonn Ceannt, Even James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett.

After the reading of the proclamation, the band will play. I

am Ireland, the title taken from a poem by Patrick Pearse.

This haunting music. In February this year, the British ambassador

spoke at a debate in UCD and he said, it seems right that this

country is celebrating its independence that was one after a

long struggle over an overbearing neighbour, should remedy key events

in the path to independence. There is no need, he said, to debate the

rights and wrongs of the Rising, to conclude that it is worthy of

commemoration. He described the Queens visit to the Garden of

remembrance in 2011 as the moment history fast forwarded from

weariness to friendship. The transformation, he said, burst into

life in that simple, very moving, highly significant commemoration of

those who lost their lives in the cause of Irish freedom.

Shortly, the Taoiseach will invite President Higgins to lead into the

next part of the ceremony. The parade commander is Colonel

Steven Howard. The research areas are drawn from the second military

police Company. Ladies and gentlemen, please be

upstanding for the wreath laying ceremony and women standing for the

remaining of the survey. -- ceremony.

In this centenary year, we honour the memory of those who died in 1916

with the respect and dignity that is their G. And we cherish 100 years

later the principles and the ideals contained in our proclamation for

which they have fought. I now invite the President to lay a

wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland in honour of all those who

died. Speaking ahead of this ceremony, President Higgins said

there is no single narrative of 1916, no monopoly over the

interpretation of our history, even at the removal of a century, he

said, the memory of 1916, while of importance and worthy of respect as

the foundation of an event, still carries pain for many.

Ladies and gentlemen, we will now serve a minute of silence. At the

end of the minute, it will be marked by a muffled drum beat.

On the defence forces website, we read they hold the seven people who

signed the population in high regard. The seven barracks that make

up the defence Force Vasek Pospisil turning centre are named after each

of the signatories of the population. Now, the sounding of the

last post. The poignant musical tribute that

has sounded from battlefield two battlefield and from one remembrance

to another. Ladies and gentlemen, the national flag above the General

Post Office will now be hoisted to full mast. There will then be a

fly-past from the air Corps. To commemorate the centenary, the

defence forces have been given the do the job of delivering a copy of

the proclamation and a tricolour to every one of more than 3000 primary

schools. Thousands of secondary school pupils were presented with

tricolours at a ceremony here in Dublin earlier this month. The flag

modelled on the red white and blue revolutionary France, the... The

White in the centre signified a lasting truce between Orange and

Green. Trust, he said, beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants

and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous heroic brotherhood.

Six aircraft flown by instructors of the air Corps flying training school

in wedge formation, 700 feet above O'Connell Street. As this ceremony

concludes... Ladies and gentlemen, the annual commemorative ceremony

will continue shortly with the march past the General Post Office by the

20 16th Easter Parade. This portion of the ceremony is now concluded and

you are invited sit. And now, the main parade moves on O'Connell

Street from south of the river at O'Connell Bridge, passing at the

Garden of remembrance. The garden built on the site where Irish

Volunteers were founded the organisation was founded, in 1913.

It was there that several leaders of the rebellion were held prisoner

overnight before being taken to Kilmainham Gaol and execution. In a

speech last June, President Higgins said engaging with the past is not

easy. It involves a complex negotiation of the stories,

memories, Hertz, legacies and emotions of all who recall 1916 or

who are or were affected by the troubles. He went on, finding a fair

and comprehensive way of dealing with the past will be a huge

challenge, but a challenge that cannot be shirked. Those words will

resonate with those who have witnessed this ceremony of

celebration and reflection. Yes, as the parade burette -- prepares to

pass along O'Connell Street we have Martina Devlin and our Dublin

correspondence, Shane Harrison. Thankfully, the weather has held for

the ceremony. Planned with precision, as all of these military

events are. How did you think it went? The choreography work. For

months we have banks did about whether it should be a commemoration

or a celebration will stop people were conscious of sensitivities and

the fact there was a lot of blood spilled during Easter week, but I

feel a sense of celebration. I noticed it this morning when I was

travelling in on public transport into the city centre. There was a

happy note in the error. Is that the same with you Shane? There has been

a big build-up in the media, of course, and among government

officials. What about the general public? How are they taking this

day? They will have witnessed a ceremony that was stirring, simple,

solemn and almost sombre, because the shadow of the troubles and all

the people who died here were commemorated in many ways in what

the ceremony saw. As you join us, we can see an aerial shot of Dublin and

you can see how many people are here and it is quite clear that this has

really captured the imagination of the Irish public. I met a few

parents and children on the way in and they were really quite excited

about what was going to happen today. It is all very different from

what happened in 1966 when Eamon de Valera was the Taoiseach. He took

part in the 1916 Rising. He was to note that if you use later there

would be the troubles erupted in Northern Ireland and the shadow of

violence cast over so many 1916 parades down the years. How

important has it been, is education, you could call it, of the Easter

1916 Rising to the new generations? There has been a big programme in

schools. I suppose a generation has grown up for whom 1916 meant little.

In one sense, that is healthy. We cannot be prisoners of the past, but

in another sense it is important to remember these people and to learn

lessons from their behaviour. I think that that has come through in

recent months and weeks. They were an exceptional generation, the 1916

generation to stop they understood the importance of collaboration and

the common good. They were self-sacrificing in a way which we

are less so today. One of the aspects which there has been new

attention is the way they were hoping all the people together would

accept their Irishness, to celebrate their Irishness and this was not so

usual. As the parade makes its way along the streets, let's go to Mark

Simpson. I heard Shane Harrison talking about the comparisons with

the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. How does today

compare with what happened back in 1966? Here is someone who was there.

You were there, you were 16 at the time, you are originally from

Limerick and live in the United States. How did today compare? Back

in 1966, the pride of women in the Rising was underplayed and there was

very little about their enormous involvement and the part, they

played was very underrated as well. In fact, you would see pictures of

peers everywhere but very little of James Connolly. Especially trade

unionists celebrated James Connolly by putting pictures of an album that

was out by his son in Windows and pubs. That wouldn't have been the

same crowds by any means. I was 16, so anything over ten people seemed a

crowd but the street was pretty packed. It was quite the event. Was

it all about the rebels and not anybody else? Very much so. It was

about the men who fought in the post office. There wasn't even a mention

of Constance Markievizc, let alone anyone else. Some Republicans think,

that is the way it should be in terms of concentrating on the rebels

and not everybody else. What do you think about the inclusive nature of

today? Unless you include human hand and incredible struggle -- Cumann na

mBan, the recent troubles were a war about women and they took the brunt

of it. I think today is brilliant. People are supporting their history

and the sun shone. Thank you both very much indeed. That is the latest

from O'Connell Street. I have to say, it was quite a moment and with

the crowd when the proclamation was read. People reliving history. You

know what things are like, people are on their phones, taking photos,

you could have heard a pin drop. It was quite a moment. You can hear the

band behind me quite loud, hopefully not too loudly. Talking about the

proclamation and what was written in it, Martina, you were interested in

the proclamation today, grabbing hold of the copy that was given to

you. What stands out in the proclamation today? This was handed

to me as I walked to O'Connell Street. I paused to read it because

it is a fascinating document, three paragraphs. There is a line that

talks about cherishing the children of the nation equally. Sometimes,

that is interpreted as a class reference, in fact, it is national

list and unionist background. It is the idea that it doesn't matter

where your state was originally, what country you originated in, it

is about giving allegiance to the country you were born in and grew up

in now. The idea that it is a united Irishmen's idea that, irrespective

of gender, creed, class, that you can work together for the common

good. I think that was a visionary ID that the men and women of 1916

absorbed and advanced and perhaps it was lost subsequently fallen

partition. The two states which developed really didn't take this

ideal of on-board. It is a wonderful idea. There is something else about

this document. It is the first line. Irish men and Irish women stop

extraordinary 100 years ago that women were also being invoked and

when you mentioned the schoolchildren, what they are

learning about 1916, we are being reminded that women went out in 1916

because not just national identity, but for suffrage. For equality, for

women. Unfortunately, what happened is women were airbrushed out of

history and were pushed to the sidelines and now the current

generation is learning about these women. They are also learning about

unionists who were part of 1916. People like Roger Casement, a very

strong connection with Antrim, from a unionist background to stop a

northern Protestant father, a southern Catholic mother. He

connected with his national identity through the cultural movement, the

idea that it was extraordinary, revolutionary to think you could be

Irish as opposed to British and he really got that idea and ran with

it. He has been studied and given his place in the Grampian. As the

parade continues, we see both Irish men and Irish women making their

way. Also, many veterans who have been part of the Armed Forces. When

we talk about that proclamation and the young people getting involved.

What do you think the definition of the Easter Rising is now for young

people? Is it just a date in the diary or do you think there has been

some sort of the rebirth of identity or nationalism because of this big

centenary? I think there probably has been. I was struck a couple of

weeks ago. I met the parents of children outside where I live and

they were dressed up in their little costumes from the period going in

and their parents were saying, they are gone in to fight the English, I

will have to have a few words with them afterwards to put them right.

I do detect there is a real sense of national pride in what has happened.

I do sense also that historians are saying, 1916 probably was necessary

if there was to be Irish independence. Home rule probably

wouldn't have given Irish independence in that time frame.

There is the alternative view by the former Taoiseach John Britton who

said they would have been a referendum in the 1920s and Ireland

would have got it freedom then but that is a point that nobody will

ever know the truth of. Let's go back now to mark on the streets on

O'Connell Street. We're going to get an Englishman 's

view, a young person's view that you got to hear from an Irish mummy as

well! Helen, now living in London. You've got your family back to see

this? Yes, I thought it was very important, for our son to engage in

his Irish heritage. This is such a momentous moment in history and I

thought it was important for him. I'm not sure how much Irish history

he is learning about in the UK. He is learning about the famine so it's

important to come here. It was a remarkable ceremony, much more

holistic than the 1966 commemoration. It's remembering some

of the British Army who died and the civilians who died as well as the

insurgents. What did you make of the ceremony as a whole, was an implicit

in other? Think it was very inclusive and it was very solemn. We

were helped by the weather and the music was wonderful. I think it has

been done in the right spirit. What was the moment for you, was at the

reading of the proclamation? The reading of the proclamation was very

moving. I saw people in tears. I didn't cry but it was very moving

but it was very modern in that it mentioned women. 100 years ago! Is

great that Ireland has moved forward. Let's get a quick words

from Bruno, did you learn anything? I learned a bit but mostly it was in

Irish and I am not fluent in this difficult but I learned a bit about

Ireland. A quick words with your dad. Guinness and Asians view of

today? I have no specific point of view. I love a good pageant! It is

obviously a very important occasion. There is an element of healing but

very important and it is great to see and the good weather, it could

be a pivotal moment. Who knows? In so far as the relationship between

the UK or England specifically and Ireland has been served, this might

be the moment in which some of the toxicity comes out of that

relationship. Would you agree? I think it's a very good point. Thank

you all for talking to me. The main point today coming from this is

whether you agree with the Rising or not, no one can deny that it was a

landmark moment in Irish history and just perhaps today will go down as a

landmark moment as well. We all love a good pageant and this

is the largest parade in the history of the country.

As we look down on Dublin, we have glimpsed the monomers in O'Connell

Street. History frozen in stone. It is" by monuments to two giants of

constitutional nationalism. If you know that geography, Daniel

O'Connell at the southern end, Charles Parnell at the Northern,

engraved on the Parnell wonderment are his words, no man has the right

to fix the boundary and these monuments, I suppose, or reminders

that the militant must not the majority strand of nationalism in

1916. Most people favoured home rule in limited form and then you have

the monument to James Barkan, arms outstretched in that magic gesture.

The man George Bernard Shaw described as the greatest Irishman

since Parnell, founder of the General workers union, he did so

much of his work in Belfast before moving to Dublin. He wanted the

Irish Citizen Army to form a force along the lines of Carson's UVF but

it was James Connolly who formed it into a weapons for his own use and

demanded a commitment to revolution with the goal of an Irish

Independent republic. He used Liberty Hall as his space. James

Connolly declares and we can reflect on today's ceremony as we look down

over Dublin and look at the streets, the Republic I would wish, he said,

is the ideal should be of such a character that the mere mention of

its name would at all times serve as a beacon light to the oppressed of

every land. That republic was declared and suppressed. It was a

field rebellion but it was a pivotal moment in Irish history. Leading

ultimately to independence. There were many other ceremonies

this morning. One Took Place at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. One

wreath was laid at the grave of Edward Hollywood and he was the

Weaver of the first Irish tricolour in 1848, the green, white and orange

based on a French flag. A wreath was also laid at the grave of the man

who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem, the soldiers song. Glasnevin

Cemetery is very well known for graves of Irish rebels and also on a

daily occurrence, and actor plays the role of Padraig Pearse and reads

out the oration that he made at the funeral which seems to ignite the

rebels into their fight towards Easter 1916. On that note of

Glasnevin Cemetery, a memorial wall will be unveiled next month and it

will have the names of all those who died in the Easter Rising. Something

that not everyone agrees with? That's right, some of those,

particularly relatives of the 1916 think that some of the names of

British soldiers and policemen should not be on the wall. There are

others who say, no, it all has to be very inclusive to reflect that Anglo

Irish relations have moved on in the last period. That note of

inclusivity, one thing I did notice today, so many visitors and people

from all around the world, I suppose it is connecting with the day after

a? Yes, I spoke to ending this man whose grandfather was in with

President Eamon de Valera and he said, did you know there were no

women allowed in the garrison? He didn't so we had a discussion about

that. I said that contemporary reports at the time showed that some

of the men were not too pleased about Eamon de Valera banning the

women because they had to do all the cooking! You can have a laugh about

it as well and it's important that you don't get too hung up on the

grid things. One of the questions is, does it have any contemporary

resonance? Is it all just a costume drama, or even triumphalism, God

forbid? I think that there are lessons that can be learned from it

and for me, I see, ironically, more than ever now, a fortress Ulster

mentality and a fortress island mentality. They could be so much

more cooperation between the two parts of this island in terms of

tourism, trade, culture, health care, so many areas of common

interest. I think it would be wonderful if 2016 and the centenary

could be used as a springboard to advance that cooperation.

Unfortunately there are no senior Unionists present here but it is

behind the eye the British ambassador to Ireland and when I was

on the streets, I see that Mike heard people referencing Queen

Elizabeth's visit recently and mentioning how she bowed her head

before the Republican dead and that resonated with people and it is a

reminder that it has never been, I believe, and anti-conditioners but

an anti-imperialism. Imperialism is not good for a colonised people, is

only good but the colonised. If you think 2016, how those Anglo Irish

relations have changed in the past 100 years? 1916 has often been

described as a rising of poets and perhaps the most famous pawn about

it was written by W B Yeats in which he said a terrible beauty has been

born. If you look at relations now, you would have to say they are very

far from terrible but beautiful, that might be stretching it a bit!

As Martina has just said, there is no representative of the Unionist

community here, even though the Queen, five years ago, went to the

Garden of remembrance and bowed in honour of those Irish men and women

who gave their lives for Irish freedom. Before we are drowned out

by the band, we return to Mark Simpson to see who he has been

talking to on the street! This is a real cross-section of

people here. The show man is from Armagh, one from Fermanagh and you

are from New York. They have you brought with you? My daughter. What

have you made of today? We are just so happy and excited to be here. I

have been in New York for 40 years, originally from Dublin so I brought

her over to see the parade to celebrate the anniversary. The last

time I was here was in 1966 at the 50th anniversary so it is a special

day. What was the one moment today that you will always remember? When

they raised the flags and sign the national anthem, it was brilliant

and I really enjoyed it. We're going to hear from somebody north of the

border. Did you come here for the weekend or did you have an early

start this morning? We came here this morning. Left the house at

about 8am. Was it worth it? Oh yes, a brilliant ceremony. Good to be

here and to be part of it. Who is this with you? This is my son 's

friend. What was the moment of the day for you? When the tanks went by,

definitely! The final would to this young man from Armagh. Why do Joe

come today? Just for the day. How will you but today? What is the

moment you always remember, was a proclamation, the raising of the

flags? The National Anthem. What has the mood been like in the crowd

here? Berry good. You must have been here early? Yes. The main parade

passing but these people are not moving!

One thing we all seem to be living today by the pipes and drums, so

many bands walking along and as the parade is passing the GPO, held does

it look to you, Seamus? There are those who say that by making the

Rising defining moment of stated, there is a danger especially if it

is commemorated in too militaristic away, that revolutionary values are

somehow elevated above the democratic virtues that have made

Ireland the political entity but it is. As we look at that automatic

monument, but familiar at Oracle pose of his, but it's always worth

remembering that today's Irish Defence Forces are known for their

contribution to peace keeping around the world and dozens of soldiers

have given their lives in missions on several continents. Mounted by

the UN and European union. There are so many fascinating dimensions to

the memories and historical recollections stirred by these

events. In 1916, Unionists applauded the imposition by the British

government of martial law during the Easter week and they urged that what

they saw as nationalists should not be rewarded. Lord Carson called it a

shame brought upon Ireland but when the courts martial of the rebel

leaders began, their leader, Edward Carson, urged caution. It will be a

matter requiring the greatest wisdom, he said, whatever is done,

let it be done not in a moment of temporary excitement but with

deliberation and regard to the past and the future. Something more to

contemplate. We have talked a lot about the past

today. Tomorrow is another day, it is the future and lots planned in

the city but definitely these were the younger generation is looking to

the future? Today is about official Ireland remembering 1916 and

tomorrow it will be the people. This area will be full of actuaries,

walking tours mother will be a general hilly and a car exhibition

in Merrion Square. Lots happening and that will bring hundreds of

thousands people into the city centre tomorrow.

A cultural revolution underpinned the military revolution, if you

like. I saw a little boy coming in here aged seven with his

grandfather's medals pinned to his jacket and I asked what they were

for and he didn't know that he thought they were lovely objects and

his dad said we will explain to him when he is older. I think the idea

is to put it in a much more nuanced context than good guys and bad guys

and who is on whose side. I think that is important. It is important

as well... Sorry to interrupt you, we see the helicopters flying over

O'Connell Street. We had a fly-past aerial display earlier ending the

ceremony and now the helicopters making quite a lot of noise and

quite a spectacle. You were saying. There are all sorts of

interpretations of Irishness, from this and whatever you are having

yourself, one of the National casting identity ideas is the plucky

underdog taking on... We will leave it there for now. I cannot help

thinking of the words of Saint Ingleton, the journalist and

commentator, the past, he says, is wildly unpredictable. The memory of

the Easter Rising has been altered by the question, isn't over yet? The

struggle has always been to decide whether it is history and current

affairs, done and dusted unfinished business. Perhaps today this is a

symbol of an Ireland moving on. As many have said, mature enough to

reconfigure its relationships with unionism and with Britain in the

last 20 of the 100 years since that pivotal moment in 1916. It really

has been a day of great spectacle, pomp and ceremony. Everything

planned with military precision. Really enjoyed by all of the crowds,

the throngs of people who have lined the streets starting over at Stephen

's Green where the parade began, winding its way through the streets

of Dublin to the GPO here and the military parade will continue and

will end on a 21 gun salute. We have watched here are the main ceremony

at the GPO and as the remainder of that parade continues, we are trying

our special BBC programme to a close. Our colleagues on BBC radio

Ulster and our News website are continuing live coverage of this

commemoration. Have a look at the website. If you are looking for

background and special reports on the Easter Rising you can find all

of that on a dedicated website from the BBC. Many thousands of people

are still on the streets of Dublin locations very different from 100

years ago. Today we have a quiet reflection and music, replacing the

sounds of another century in those very same places, sons of gun and

shellfire. It is a changed time with the changed context.