Terence Flanagan
Question:8. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Defence the role the Defence Forces will play in the 1916 commemorations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6800/15]
View answerWednesday, 18 February 2015
Questions (8)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
Does the Minister have a plan of action for the role that the Defence Forces might play in next year's commemorations of 1916?
I discussed this issue with the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as recently as yesterday. Responsibility for the decade of centenaries programme rests with the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, but my Department and the Defence Forces will play a significant role in many of the events planned for 2016. Two existing annual 1916 commemoration events which have significant Department of Defence and Defence Forces involvement are the Easter Rising anniversary ceremony at the GPO on Easter Sunday and the annual 1916 commemoration ceremony at Arbour Hill.
Following the recent launch by the Taoiseach and the Minister of the programme of events for Easter 2016, discussions are now taking place with regard to the involvement of the Defence Forces in various events. It has already been decided that the ceremonial event at the GPO in 2016 will be followed by a march past involving significant military input. There will also be military participation in a wreath laying ceremony at Kilmainham Gaol. In addition, the Arbour Hill 1916 commemoration will be held on Sunday, 24 April 2016, the centenary of the Rising on Easter Monday 1916. The ceremony will take the form of a requiem mass in the Church of the Most Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7, for those who died in the Easter Rising. This will be followed by a graveside ceremony, including inter-faith prayers.
As part of the Government's centenary commemoration programme, the Department is cataloguing and partially digitising the military service pensions collection, which is in the custody of the military archives. The collection contains nearly 300,000 files relating to the period from Easter week of 1916 through the War of Independence and Civil War to the 1 October 1924. There were two releases of information to date and a further release is planned between now and Easter 2016. The Department is also building a new facility for the archives at Cathal Brugha Barracks to provide modern storage and reading facilities. We will also be involved in other events but I think I have given a flavour of our plans.
I thank the Minister for his response. We are all proud of the role our Defence Forces have played over the last 100 years. Given that 1916 was principally a military event, it is important that a balance is struck between celebrating the Rising and respecting the sensitivities of others. We do not want the commemorations to be hijacked. Has the Minister received any suggestions from the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association, RDFRA, and PDFORRA regarding the role they might play in this important anniversary?
I met the representative bodies in recent weeks, and this issue arose in the course of our discussions. Members of the Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces want to participate, and former members of the Defence Forces are also anxious to be involved. I assure the Deputy we will do what we can to ensure this is a year in which everybody in Ireland, including in particular those in the Defence Forces who commit their lives to the defence and security of the State, can participate in the commemorations.
I welcome that retired members of the Defence Forces will be involved in the anniversary events. Concerns have been expressed by some Defence Forces personnel that the military side might be toned down by the Government but we should not forget the military nature of 1916. When will the Minister be in a position to publish his plans for next year?
Many of the plans have already been finalised but there are still things we need to do. The Government is broadly ambitious in terms of what it wants to undertake regarding the commemorations. Some of this involves capital works in Dublin city centre and elsewhere, while others are ceremonial events. I hope everybody in this Hose will work together to ensure this is an appropriate commemoration for all those in this country, regardless of background, who want to commemorate an event with such significance for Irish history. I am confident that the Defence Forces will add to that in an appropriate manner.