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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 13 Nov 2014

Vol. 235 No. 9

Commemoration Planning: Statements

I welcome the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys. It is my first time in the Chair for a debate with the Minister since her elevation and I wish her every success, happiness and good luck in her new brief and responsibilities. I call on her to speak on the issue of commemoration planning.

We do not have a quorum.

If the Senator brings it to my attention, we will have to ring the bells again.

I just want to make people aware of it.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his good wishes. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the commemorations with the Members and to inform them of the Government's plans to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. When the Taoiseach appointed me to the position of Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in July, he gave me responsibility to lead the 1916 commemorations and I was delighted to be given the challenge. As a member of the Oireachtas all-party consultation group on the commemorations, I have listened to many views in the past three years on the form our commemorations should take and I am pleased to have an opportunity to listen to the Members' views today.

Like many commemorations, the events of 1916 are viewed and understood in many different ways across Ireland. I want to build on the understanding of the history of the period and ensure the Rising is marked in a way that is inclusive, respectful and appropriate. An inclusive approach acknowledges all the identities and traditions that form part of our historical experience. It also facilitates open dialogue, increases our understanding and builds further reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

As part of the decade of centenaries, which runs from 2012 to 2022, the Government has been engaged in a series of major commemorative events. The period from 1912 to 1922 was one of the most eventful in Ireland's history. From the campaign for Home Rule, the 1913 Lock-out, through the First World War and the Easter Rising of 1916 to the foundation of the Free State, this was a decade of immense upheaval and change. Through the decade of centenaries programme, we have been commemorating and respectfully remembering each event as it happened.

In recent months I have attended a series of commemorations to mark the outbreak of the First World War and remember the many thousands of Irish men and women who fought and lost their lives. On Tuesday this week I was joined by the Northern Ireland Minister, Ms Arlene Foster, MLA, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Dr. Andrew Murrison, MP, at St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street, to mark Remembrance Day. It is important that we can come together with our British and Northern counterparts to remember the men and women who fought side by side on a lonely foreign battlefield.

During the summer I attended an official commemorative event, led by President Michael D. Higgins, to mark the centenary of the Howth gun running, at Howth Harbour, and met many of the craftsmen who worked to restore Erskine Childers's yacht, the Asgard, which is now on display at Collins Barracks. The tremendous community effort and voluntary work I witnessed in Howth brought home to me the potential that centenary events have as community events. We also marked the tragic events that occurred at Bachelors Walk with a wreath laying ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery and a mass in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. It is of the utmost importance that the dignity of those who suffered and died is paramount, and that their relatives are given pride of place in remembering their family members.

In early September I was delighted to attend an excellent and worthwhile event in Ballina to commemorate the women of Cumann na mBan. This follows a series of important commemorative events held in April this year to commemorate the founding of Cumann na mBan. The formation of Cumann na mBan was an absolutely vital step in the empowerment, both politically and socially, of women in Ireland. It is very important that women's participation in the Rising continues to be fully acknowledged as we lead up to 2016. I also attended the unveiling of a cross of sacrifice at Glasnevin Cemetery to mark the centenary of the Great War and to commemorate the many thousands of soldiers from Ireland who died as a result of either the First World War or Second World War, especially the 207 who are buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has done a substantial amount of work to ensure these centenaries are marked appropriately. This includes working closely with relevant Departments, agencies and services, as well as with local authorities, colleges and community groups. One of the most powerful ways for us to reflect and respect the events of 100 years ago is through individual stories of human endeavour. Earlier this week, at the Glasnevin Great War exhibition, I was struck by the story of John Kennedy who fought in the First World War for the British Army. When he returned home to Ireland, he fought in the War of Independence and later in the Civil War. On the morning of the first day of the battle for Dublin, in the Civil War, he married his sweetheart, but later that afternoon he was killed in action. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in the national Army plot, only yards away from Michael Collins. Personal stories, stories of families and individuals, give us a powerful insight into what life must have been like for the men and women who made such incredibly brave choices 100 years ago. They give us a sense of the human suffering that was the everyday reality for those caught up in conflict and they illustrate the complexities of our history.

I was pleased to be joined at the GPO last night by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, for the launch of Ireland 2016, a national initiative which includes a programme of events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Ireland 2016, a national initiative led by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will develop, co-ordinate and deliver a programme of activity to honour and remember those who fought and those who died in the 1916 Rising. It will also reflect on the legacy of that period and look towards our future. Ireland 2016 is based on five intersecting themes: "remember", recalling our shared history on the island of Ireland; "reconcile", honouring all who have built peace and brought people together; "imagine", releasing the creativity of our people, in particular our young people; "present", creatively showing our achievements to the world; and "celebrate", with family, community and friendship and renew our commitment to the Proclamation ideals of liberty and equality.

A great deal of planning and work has taken place in recent months to ensure the 2016 commemorations have a lasting legacy. Earlier this year the Government allocated €22 million for 2015 for seven flagship commemorative projects to be finalised in time for Easter 2016.

The capital projects also include: the building of an interpretative centre at the GPO which is expected to attract up to 300,000 visitors a year; refurbishment works at Richmond Barracks, where the leaders of the Rising were held after their surrender; the upgrade of Kilmainham Courthouse and Gaol, where the trials and executions were held; the restoration of the historic Kevin Barry Room in the National Concert Hall, where the treaty debates took place; the development of a new visitor centre at Teach an Phiarsaigh, Rosmuc; the restoration of 14 Henrietta Street as a tenement museum; and the development of Cathal Brugha Barracks to support a new military service pensions archive facility. Each of these projects will deepen our understanding of the history of that period and provide an enduring and permanent tribute to those involved in the Rising. Together they will open up our history.

A number of formal State events will be held over Easter weekend 2016. On Easter Saturday, 26 March 2016, there will be a remembrance ceremony at Arbour Hill followed by a special State reception for the 1916 relatives. On Easter Sunday, March 27, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at Kilmainham Gaol in the morning, followed by a formal State parade to be led by representatives of the relatives who fought and died in 1916. This event will start with a military ceremonial, which will include the reading of the Proclamation by an Army officer, the laying of a wreath by the President on behalf of the Irish people in honour of all those who fought and those who died during the Rising in 1916, a minute's silence, the sounding of the Last Post, the raising of the national flag and the national anthem. There will then be a march-past by representatives of the 1916 relatives and representatives of An Garda Síochána and other emergency services. The Defence Forces will be present with a full military parade, including a UN peacekeeping element, and the parade will conclude with an Air Corps fly-past. The President and the Taoiseach, with the 1916 relatives and representatives of State and civil society, will view the parade from viewing stands which will line O'Connell Street, with the maximum amount of seating the street can accommodate. The public will be able to view the parade all along the parade route and large screens will be erected for maximum visibility.

On the evening of Easter Sunday there will be a State reception in Dublin Castle. On Easter Monday there will be an inter-faith service at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. On Sunday April 24, the actual date of the Rising, there will be a commemoration at Arbour Hill hosted by the Minister for Defence, consisting of a requiem mass, and ceremonies will be held at the graves of the 1916 leaders.

As well as the formal State events, the second key element of Ireland 2016 will be widespread community engagement. The €4 million that I secured in the budget will be used to roll out an integrated plan during 2015 to facilitate community events and initiatives. A widespread consultation process will now take place in the coming months. I have set up a new 2016 project office in my Department, which will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including schools, relatives groups, colleges, businesses, voluntary organisations, arts and cultural institutions, historical societies and local government. A series of meetings will be held in every county across the country to facilitate ground-up initiatives so that local communities can get involved and put their own shape on the commemorations as we move towards 2016. This work is already well under way. Yesterday, I met city and county managers to outline how I believe we can work together to make this a truly national initiative.

The national cultural institutions will also play a key role in the commemorations. A rich and vibrant cultural programme, with an international dimension, will be finalised in co­operation with the national cultural institutions, the Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland. I want children and young people to be at the centre of how we mark 2016. For that reason, I will be working with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to develop arts programmes in schools. We will build on the links developed during The Gathering to reach out to local communities and the diaspora.

Last week I travelled to New Orleans for the 2014 International Famine Commemoration. I was completely overwhelmed by the strength of the Irish community there and its deep sense of pride about where it comes from. It was very clear to me from talking to people there that they want to get involved in the commemorations. I am determined to reach out to those in New Orleans and other Irish communities across the globe in order that they can play their part in Ireland 2016. My Department will work with our embassy network and through Culture Ireland to present Ireland 2016 to the world. Information about Ireland 2016 is available on a dedicated website, www.ireland.ie, and if Senators have not had an opportunity to visit it, I encourage them to do so and to read the comprehensive information pack published last night.

As well as widespread consultations and preparations for 2016, a number of other key milestones will be marked during the course of 2015, including the centenary of the battles at Gallipoli. We will work in partnership with groups based in Cork and Dublin to develop special commemorative arrangements to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Lusitania. The year 1915 also saw the death of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa and Pádraig Pearse's famous graveside oration, which spurred the developments that led to the Rising just a few months later. There will also be a project between the National Archives and the National Museum to demonstrate the preparations carried out in Collins Barracks by soldiers as they prepared to leave for war during 1915.

I look forward to working with the expert advisory group, chaired by Dr. Maurice Manning, and my colleagues on the Oireachtas all-party consultation group. I am very grateful for their work, guidance and support to ensure we have commemorations that are inclusive, appropriate and respectful. I would also like to ask Members of the House here today to act as messengers in their communities and to tell people about and encourage them to get involved with the commemorations to help to make Ireland 2016 a success. As I have outlined, community involvement will be key, and we can all work together to make the commemorations a truly inclusive occasion.

At every level of our society, we can make 2016 a wonderful, inspirational time, when we build new friendships, infuse our communities with a renewed spirit of creativity, deepen our understanding of difference and begin to build a better future for our children. I thank Members for their attention and for affording me this opportunity to update the House. I look forward to hearing their contributions.

I welcome the Minister. I thank her for organising last night's excellent event in the GPO and her work so far on this important initiative which includes the decade of commemorations and the celebration of 1916. In the coming months and years people will ask what it is we are celebrating about the 1916 Rising. We are celebrating the lives of the ordinary, but extraordinary, men and women who did an extraordinary thing on that ordinary day, Easter Monday 1916. They struggled together to achieve a common aim. The aims set out in the Proclamation were equal rights, equal opportunities and civil and religious liberties. They are aims and objectives which elude us still and 100 years on we must reflect on how far we have come and how far we have yet to go to achieve them.

The Minister outlined a fantastic programme of events and a very important consultation process. Part of the programme includes concerts in the National Concert Hall which will be televised and will feature the best of Irish talent from across the entire spectrum of music, song, dance and all elements of Irish culture. The committee discussed gardens of remembrance, something which can engage all communities. Such simple projects would include gardens with three common elements, namely, the Proclamation, a flagpole and seven trees to signify the seven signatories and would be dedicated to the men and women involved.

The committee has dealt with other elements and the Minister has met Reverend Kavanagh in regard to the Thomas Francis Meagher foundation, in particular on the idea of giving a Tricolour that has flown from the building where the first Tricolour was flown to every school in the country by 2016. All the secondary schools in the State would be invited to Waterford to receive this flag and to be given information packs on the history and meaning of the flag. The meaning has been lost or forgotten over time but the symbolism is as relevant today as when Thomas Francis Meagher first spoke about it in 1848 in terms of brotherhood and peace between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics. That is something every schoolchild should know on Easter Monday 2016.

Engaging with our diaspora is very important and I thank the Minister for ensuring that will be the case. I have discussed this with newly elected US Congressman Brendan Boyle, who said he will put a garden of remembrance in Pennsylvania. Perhaps, on her next visit to America, the Minister might visit him and talk to the members of the Irish-American caucus about what they can do. Gardens are a neutral space and are places where people can reflect on the words in the Proclamation.

There have been initiatives. It is very important that the county councils and their managers were met yesterday. There is a motion before this House which will hopefully be passed next week. The Minister's Department had sent out a letter earlier in the year in regard to Cumman na mBan. Equality eludes us still. I said yesterday that the treatment of Cumman na mBan and the Irish Volunteers, even 100 years on, is different. The Irish Volunteers ceremony was televised, the President was there, there was a full guard of honour and it was on a Sunday. The anniversary of Cumman na mBan, a significant organisation, was not given the same treatment, which I felt was inappropriate considering its contribution.

The letters that went out from the Department and the motion before this House are about naming currently unnamed bridges, roads and public infrastructure after Cumman na mBan or its members. As in the past, when public infrastructure is named, it is generally named after men because the people sitting around the table are generally men and they name it after people who would instantaneously come to their minds. In County Kerry, however, the largest relief road in the county, around the town of Tralee, has been named after Cumman na mBan, as is the case for the bridge over the River Shannon in County Leitrim. In Athlone Councillors John Keogh and Ernie Keenan from Roscommon County Council and Westmeath County Council - opposing counties - came together and named the bridge over the River Shannon as Droichead Cumman na mBan. In Cork, where Councillor Aindrias Moynihan is working with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Mary Shields, and the Cathaoirleach, Alan Coleman, they are hoping to name the southern ring road which runs around the outskirts of the city Bóthar Cumman na mBan. There are similar proposals for Limerick, Kilkenny and other places. I would hope that every county has at least one significant piece of infrastructure named after that important organisation.

The counties have written to the Minister's office and want to be part of the programme for events. Cloughjordan, where Thomas MacDonagh came from, wants to be included; it has its summer school and is hoping to put in a garden of remembrance. There is also Kiltyclogher in Leitrim, where Seán Mac Diarmada comes from, and Ballymoe in Galway, which hopes to remember Éamonn Ceannt. Of course, the diaspora will have to become engaged because some of the signatories were not born inside the State. Ashbourne in County Meath saw one of the biggest battles outside of Dublin in Easter Week, as did Enniscorthy in Wexford and Athenry in Galway. All of these councils want to be included in this comprehensive programme because it is a celebration of an entire year of events. I hope the Minister's Department will be able to cope with the enthusiasm shown.

I am glad that the Minister has taken on board suggestions from myself and others on the committee in regard to the relatives being included in the celebrations, and not only being included but actually being part of the celebrations, which is very important. I am glad that the Minister met the relatives. There is a long way to go in ensuring their concerns are facilitated, but I believe the Department is on the right track. It is going to be a challenge to accommodate everybody but it is certainly something that can be done. I thank the Minister for her work so far and I thank all the members of the committee for their commitment to the celebration of 2016. As outlined in the Government document, it is a time of reflection and of looking back, but also of looking forward into the future in the sense of how the Ireland that was imagined in 1916 can be attained.

The Minister is welcome. Last night, I had the honour of attending the launch of Ireland 2016 in the GPO. As I looked around the room, I saw in attendance some of our colleagues who are here in the House today. I began to reflect on the Golden Jubilee, although I am not sure if many of us were around then - most of us, perhaps-----

The Senator should speak for himself.

I am beginning to show my age. I vividly recall, as a 13 year old boy, attending the pageantry in Croke Park and also the military parade that took place in O'Connell St. My father, Bill, worked for a company called Breen Electrical in Dame Street and he had the responsibility of installing the sound system in Croke Park not just for the Gaelic football and hurling matches, but also for the pageantry, and along O'Connell Street for that parade. My job was to help to pull the wires while he put up the sound system. My reward was not monetary; it was a front row seat in the Ard Chomhairle for the pageant and a front row seat outside the GPO for the military parade. I will never forget the President, Eamon de Valera, coming over to me - my proud dad would always talk to everybody about "Young Eamonn, he is a great little runner" - and saying to me, "Eamonn, I hear you are a great little runner. I will be looking for you in the future". I may have gone on to some success on the athletics track but little did he know I would be nominated to the Seanad by An Taoiseach, which I am very proud of all these many years later.

My father, Bill, lived at 16 South William Street, a mere two or three blocks from here. I always remember the stories from my father and from "gran", as we called her - my granny - about how her husband, who died at the age of 32 years, used to allow the basement of their tenement house be used as a hideout for some of the rebels during the 1916 Rising. I will always remember going with my sister Mary to the rat-infested basement looking for ammunition and guns, imagining that we might find them, but to no avail. However, I also remember him talking about the Walker brothers, Michael and John, who participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, representing Ireland in cycling. They were couriers for the rebels around Dublin during the 1916 Rising. I also heard stories from gran about walking from South William Street up to St. Stephen's Green at particular times during the day when there would be a ceasefire in order for the park ranger to feed the ducks. That was her way out of town. A Senator seems to know the story - I can remember hearing that as a young boy.

We are almost 100 years on. We have seen two world wars come and go and we have seen the Troubles in the North come and go. Nelson's Pillar was blown up in that year of 1966 and I remember sitting on the stand at the GPO with the ruin of Nelson's Pillar in front of us. However, the world is still not a safe place and we are now faced with the looming threats of ISIS. We are almost a year and a half away from the centenary commemoration, which will remember and honour those who took part in the 1916 Rising. This is a major event for the country, both at home and abroad, because of its significance in our history.

This is not about political parties, but about our community and commemorating the men, women and children of Ireland. Last night in the GPO, we were presented by the Minster, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste with the theme for Ireland 2016 which is to remember, reconcile, imagine, present and celebrate. Remembering the events of 1916 through the signature events the Minister has outlined is very important. Events planned include the national ceremonies, cultural events, State receptions and many more. The flagship capital projects which will be completed by Easter 2016 will serve as permanent reminders. The Minister has indicated that €22 million has been provided for the completion of the projects at the GPO, Kilmainham Gaol and Courthouse, the tenement museum in Henrietta Street, Richmond Barracks, Teach an Piarsaigh in Rosmuc, the Military Pensions Archive and the National Concert Hall. I have also just been informed of the €30 million being spent on the project at the National Gallery of Ireland which is adjacent to Leinster House and which will be completed by April 2015.

Family is foremost in remembering. Relatives and descendants are paramount in the commemoration events. The Minister has stated that she wants the events to be all-inclusive and that the advisory group on the centenary commemorations wants the input of relatives right through the planning process. The Taoiseach said last night that the Government is determined to consult widely and develop a comprehensive programme of dignified acts of remembrance. Reconciliation is important in honouring all those who have built peace. The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection noted last night that it is vital to appreciate the fact that the 1916 Rising is a highly contested moment in our history and that we must respect differing viewpoints on it. Imagining is about imagining our future - not necessarily recalling the past - in the next 100 years by seeking the views of young people.

The Taoiseach stated the commemoration should be remembered for its diversity, inclusiveness, imagination and inspiration. We are known worldwide for our imagination and culture, including our heritage, literature, music, dance, business acumen and, if I might say it, our sport. Presenting Ireland to the world, show-casing our achievements in art, culture, literature and music, is very important and an opportunity to attract visitors from overseas, engage with the diaspora and replicate the success of The Gathering. Approximately 3.6 million tourists come to Ireland for a cultural experience and the centenary commemoration is an ideal opportunity for tourism to engage with the diaspora and many others from overseas.

In celebration, we reflect on the past and celebrate our achievements, hopes and dreams for the future. Last night the Taoiseach said 2016 presented us with a once-in-a-century opportunity to create events of celebration and remembrance, that are of value in themselves and which also contribute to a great sense of who we Irish really are. The vision outlined for Ireland 2016 says it all. It involves working together to remember, reconcile, imagine, present and celebrate in 2016. However, it is my hope it will not just be a once-off remembrance and celebration. I hope the events planned and, in particular, the capital programme will have a lasting and positive influence on many generations to come. Having lived in the United States of America for many years, I know that 4 July - Independence Day - is the big day of the year. Perhaps, we can celebrate and remember the Easter Rising 1916 every year.

It is my first time in the Seanad since the death of Brian Farrell, whose passing I acknowledge. He is someone we grew up with as a nation. Talking about commemoration and solemn occasions, Brian's voice on radio and television is an important one we remember. I knew him personally as he and my father soldiered together in the early days of "7 Days" many years ago. I extend my condolences to Marie-Thérèse, David, Theo and the rest of the family.

I welcome the Minister. I also welcome last night's announcement and the end of the anxiety and paralysis around the fact that a kind of third secret of Fatima was still to be released. It was released last night in the GPO. I welcome and acknowledge it. It allows us finally to have a more open and trusting conversation and discussion. The Taoiseach's speech was one of the best he has given. There were many things in it that gave me confidence and will give the Government the self-confidence to realise that there will be diverse views.

We have all spoken in the past about the decade of commemorations, but I refer today only to the 1916 Easter Rising. That is not in any way to disassociate any other centenaries, including that of the Battle of the Somme. I am not ignoring such centenaries, but rather focusing today on the Easter Rising.

It is welcome that a self-confidence appears to be emerging from the Government to the effect that it cannot, will not and should not control the agenda of the centenary. In that sense, the most important document released last night was the initial statement by the advisory group on centenary commemorations. It represents a very useful guiding principle as we approach the commemorations. The document talks about the fact that we should not simply consider the uprising in its national context but rather look at in a global context. What else was occurring around the world? We know the famous Sykes-Picot line was being drawn in the Middle East which has ended up being the cause of a great deal of concern there today. Among the interesting points in the document was the statement that the State should not be expected to be neutral about its own existence. While we must be inclusive and non-partisan, we should acknowledge the outcome of the revolution and not be neutral about it. We should have the self-confidence to talk about the 1916 Rising in a way that is proud without being divisive. There is a fine line there but up to now the Government has been anxious about it.

From what I heard last night and what I hear from the Minister today, clarity and self-confidence are growing. The advisory group document included a lovely phrase to the effect that we should be conscious that on this island we have a common history but not a common memory. All those memories are justified, which is where art is important whether it is "The Plough and the Stars" or "A Long Long Way" by Sebastian Barry. Memory and contested memory are important as is fiction in commemorating and acknowledging history. This is about how we as citizens find an imaginative expression of how we deal with the past to understand the present and look to the future.

It appears there is a sense of release and that the Government understands it cannot control the process and should not worry about other parties claiming authority over 1916 as, in a way, is about all of us in the community. I welcome this and the permission the Government has given itself to continue an exploration not only of the 1916 Rising but what happened in the following 100 years. Of course, there will be a great deal of criticism and self-analysis regarding what we have achieved as a nation over that period. While a great deal of it will be seen as negative, we should be comfortable in acknowledging this. The Minister and the Tánaiste spoke last night about the sudden removal of women from the history of Ireland and the 1916 Rising and the whitewashing of women in the 1920s through poverty and censorship. We should accept and acknowledge that while trying to change things and move on.

On that basis also, the fact that the Minister is seeking community and young people's involvement, with the national cultural institutions, is paramount. In case there is a perception of a conflict of interest, I run the Abbey Theatre, the national theatre of Ireland. It will be involved in many types of commemoration and we are engaging with the Department in that regard and seeking funding from the Department. I should make that clear in order that there is no sense of a conflict of interest.

We have learned from the Limerick City of Culture 2014 and other events. The Minister has formed a 2016 project team. Mr. John Concannon is in charge of it. That is important. There is a very short lead-in period of 14 months. The €4 million, although important, is quite a small amount of money if it is to be shared across all the national cultural institutions. There is no need to remind the Minister that the National Museum of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland and the National Archives are on their knees in terms of current funding. One of the legacies of commemoration should be to try to increase their funding and enhance their standing, self-worth and self-respect and to encourage them to grow in the next couple of years.

I have a number of questions for the Minister. How long will the consultation period last? Are people invited to make submissions to the Department or the project team? When will that decision be made? Will there be more than €4 million and another budget allocation next year? The €4 million will be used up very quickly. The Minister mentioned that one of her priorities is a national culture policy. How will that fit in? It will be an important legacy for her. She mentioned in the House previously that she would hold a wide consultation on a national culture policy and that she wished to publish it as a part of her legacy in 2016. Will that be part of the overall event?

We should not be afraid of criticising and reviewing the impact of 1916 in both a positive and a negative way. The best way to do that is through contemporary artists. One of the greatest critiques of the 1916 Risin is one of the greatest plays in the Irish canon, The Plough and the Stars, which was written ten years after 1916. That play not only acknowledged the negative and positive impacts of 1916 but also celebrated the anti-heroes, the role of women and that of marginalised communities. It is through art and contemporary art that we will understand in a better way how we might live and work. Working with young people, particularly in the way the Minister mentioned yesterday, is a way forward. Let us not be afraid of fiction, art or the unknown in acknowledging the Easter Rising of 1916.

I welcome the Minister and the opportunity to debate commemoration planning, particularly in the week in which we marked Remembrance Day and the day after the launch of the commemoration programme in the GPO last night. I was sorry I was unable to attend it, but I was representing the justice committee at a conference. However, my party's Seanad spokesperson, Senator susan O'Keeffe, attended, as did many other colleagues. I have heard very positive reports of the event last night and of the very moving speeches made by the Minister, the Tánaiste and others.

During this week, as part of our commemoration, we remember the many thousands of Irish men and women who fought and lost their lives during the period we are commemorating, particularly during the First World War, the War of Independence, the Civil War and the Easter Rising. It is important that we commemorate these events in an inclusive way, as the Minister said. That is one of the most important aspects of this commemoration programme. It is hugely important that this period be marked in a way that is inclusive, respectful and appropriate. The Minister is correct to point to the strength of individual stories as a way of commemorating these events.

It is also important, of course, that we do not celebrate wars that led to hideous human suffering and waste of human lives, but that we mark them in an appropriate manner. The Minister told us the poignant story of John Kennedy. There have been many reports in the newspapers and many academic and historical accounts recently of families with terribly poignant stories of loss in the First World War - for example, the loss of multiple sons and brothers in individual families. Trinity College Dublin has been commemorating the graduates, students and staff of the college who fought and died in that war. All of us have our individual stories, and many families, including mine, were split between those who fought for the British Army in the First World War and those who stayed in Ireland and fought for independence. We are all aware of the sensitivities surrounding this commemoration period.

The five intersecting themes the Minister outlined - remember, reconcile, imagine, present and celebrate - try to ensure that we are commemorating in an inclusive manner and that we are bringing together past, present and future in the events in the decade of commemoration. Last night, all speakers spoke of the need to embrace differences and different histories to find a new way of sharing and respecting differences as we move into this century. The Minister also spoke very passionately about the individual stories, such as that of John Kennedy.

Senator Susan O'Keeffe asked me to remind the Minister that next year, as part of the decade of commemoration, we will mark Yeats2015. The Senator is chairperson of Yeats2015 and the vision of the year, as agreed by the steering group of which she is chairperson, is that Yeats2015 will celebrate and commemorate the life, work, influence and achievements of W. B. Yeats through an engaging, celebratory and cultural programme to showcase Ireland as a dynamic, inspiring and creative place. There will be a number of events to mark Yeats's contribution. Of course, his poetry will be used in a great number of the commemorative events. I will speak a little more about this.

To turn to the points made by the Minister about the plan for commemoration, with regard to permanent tributes, it is hugely important that permanent work be done, including work of refurbishment and regeneration. I am glad that the Minister mentioned specific projects such as Henrietta Street, Richmond Barracks, which has been very neglected, the Kevin Barry Room in the National Concert Hall and Pearse's Cottage. These are important spaces to be renovated and refurbished. The Minister also mentioned Kilmainham Gaol, a very important place to visit. I always send my students there because it instructs them about Ireland's past, not just the political past but also the way in which we treated people who were imprisoned on criminal charges. It is already a remarkable place. I pay tribute to those who run Kilmainham Gaol and who have made it such an important repository of work. I also pay tribute to those who run St. Enda's, the old school of Pádraig Pearse in Rathfarnham, which has been carefully and well restored and renovated. It provides informative accounts of the Easter Rising, the struggle for independence, Pádraig Pearse's life and his great work as an educator, in addition to his political work.

I should mention the Natural History Museum. That is not to forget the other cultural institutions, but I have been in touch with the Department about refurbishing the upper galleries of the Natural History Museum, which are not open and inaccessible to visitors. That is a shame. It is outside the theme of commemoration, but it is important, given that we have such a strong cultural programme as part of the commemorations, that we do not neglect other cultural institutions that are not directly involved.

The Minister spoke about the State events. I wish to make three points about those events. Clearly, 2016 will be the key year, but there will also be events in 2015. The parade for Easter weekend of 2016 will be a military parade. Can we ensure it is not over-militaristic? I was very struck when I watched the parade in 2006, which was the last time there was a full military parade. I found it troubling.

We were commemorating the 1916 Rising in a way that seemed almost to celebrate the military and weapons. It made me uncomfortable.

For many of us who wish to attend the parade with families and children, it would be appropriate if there were some aspect of the parade that recognised, for example, the role of women. Senator Fiach Mac Conghail spoke about the role of women, the role of marginalised communities and the inspiration for the Irish Citizen Army and the work of James Connolly. We should not commemorate the republican leaders without remembering that a hugely important social uprising was taking place as well. The origins of the Labour Party lie in the work of Larkin and Connolly. It was a very important movement at the time, as was the suffragette movement.

Let us write those in, not just to other events and cultural events but into parades that would otherwise be military. It is a difficult one to incorporate other aspects but it was an uncomfortable moment for me watching the tanks cross over O'Connell Bridge. I am not sure I want to see it again without recognition of other aspects. That is a point about being inclusive.

We must be careful about commemorating through the use of religious services. The Minister spoke about an inter-faith service and a requiem mass. At the inauguration of President Michael D. Higgins, there was a sense of ensuring those of different faiths and no faith were included. There was a humanist celebrant on the stage for the President's inauguration. Let us ensure that humanists, atheists and people of minority religions feel included when we use religious service as part of commemorative events.

The third point is about women's involvement. Senator Mark Daly spoke about the motion before the House, which I and the Labour Party group supported. We call on local authorities to commemorate the women involved in Cumann na mBan in the centenary of the foundation of Cumann na mBan and to remember to use women's names when naming public places. It has been overlooked for decades. The Rosie Hackett Bridge was named by Dublin City Council as part of a campaign initiated by young women in Labour Youth and other organisations. It marked a real shift in approach and I hope we see more of it.

I am glad that we will include an education programme to reach out to schools and the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, will be involved. It is important it reaches down through community events and that we do not commemorate in a top-down way. I am struck by a recent review of a book by Roy Foster, Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890 to 1923. The author takes a phrase from Yeats, "vivid faces", referring to the rebels in the poem 'Easter 1916'. He talks about those involved in the rising and uses contemporaneous accounts to try to get as close as possible to the living stream of events. One review points out that the book matters because it avoids the Irish vice of replacing history with commemoration. We must ensure empty commemoration is not the theme and that we are using vivid accounts of the period to get close to what really happened.

I thank the Minister for her presentation and congratulate her on the successful launch last night. Someone from her part of the country is uniquely placed to celebrate this and it was an inspired choice of Minister.

At the Battle of the Boyne site there is a very impressive full colour photograph of the Taoiseach of the time, Bertie Ahern, and the First Minister of Northern Ireland at the time, the Reverend Ian Paisley. It does not say "loser" under one and "winner" under the other. They are both obviously enjoying the occasion and I hope that will be the theme. I hope we do not celebrate war and that we celebrate the peace. What has been done so far is all going in that direction. The Irish ambassador laid a wreath at the cenotaph, which was the first time it was performed since 1946. The Taoiseach attending at Enniskillen has become an annual event, which is wonderful. The Tánaiste appeared in St. Patrick's Cathedral and the congregation was larger than for many years. The Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Arlene Foster, MLA, appeared in St. Ann's Church. In her famous "A Uachtaráin agus a chairde" speech, the Queen said:

With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all. But it is also true that no-one who looked to the future over the past centuries could have imagined the strength of the bonds that are now in place between the governments and the people of our two nations, the spirit of partnership that we now enjoy, and the lasting rapport between us. No-one here this evening could doubt that heartfelt desire of our two nations.

The themes of remembering to reconcile, imagine, present and celebrate are appropriate in that context. I share the wish of Senators to have Cumann na mBan celebrated. It occurs to me that, in the recent European elections on the island of Ireland, we elected seven men and seven women. Perhaps we might have some events to honour the seven women, which was a magnificent achievement. Previously, we thought it would happen in Scandinavia but it happened on our island and we should celebrate it.

Events that occur to me as a parliamentarian include 25 July 1917. This was the last attempt made in Trinity College Dublin to assemble the Irish convention. Before the island split, it was the last attempt to have Unionist and Nationalist politicians agree some framework for keeping us together. It is worth organising a commemoration. We should involve the Ulster Scots as much as we can because we share the island with them. Reference was made to the RMS Lusitania and on 10 October 1918, the RMS Leinster was sunk off Dún Laoghaire by one of the last acts of the German navy in that period. It should also be celebrated.

The theme of reconciliation is important. A long time ago, I heard the then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill, being asked what 1916 meant and he said it meant the Battle of the Somme. Many of us did not know as much then as we know now and thought it was an insensitive thing to say but now we know the complex world at a time, as Senator Fiach Mac Conghail said. We honour all the people who had to take up arms, as they saw it, to free the country and who thought they could free the country by fighting on behalf of Belgium and other countries.

We should include those who are airbrushed out of history, such as regiments like the Dublin Fusiliers and the Connaught Rangers and others that have memorabilia hidden away in church vaults. Some of them are in Windsor and during his successful visit there, President Higgins saw some of the memorabilia. It is part of the history of this country. The police force of the day, the Royal Irish Constabulary, is also part of the history. The vast majority did not join in the expectation that if the Government changed they would be out of a job. In our democracy, if the Government changes, the membership of the Garda Síochána does not change and I am sure people joined the police force to maintain law and order and were esteemed in their communities. There is a small police museum in Dublin Castle and an impressive one in Cahersiveen, County Kerry. It is a part of life.

We could bring in what workers did as Dublin was a major distilling and biscuit making centre. These products were world exports at the time. Distilling has moved to other parts of Ireland, although it may be reviving, and biscuit making is also gone. There is an immense shared heritage in our past and the best thing that is happening to Ireland since the peace process is how much the two traditions are coming to understand each other and work together. In this room last Friday, the joint chairs of the North-South Interparliamentary Association were Mr. Peter Weir, MLA, and Caitríona Ruane, MLA, with the Ceann Comhairle. They gave a fine chairing of a meeting that was most valuable to promote better educational links and better tourism links between the two states on the island. The public looks forward positively and it reflects well on what has happened up to now. Ireland will be a better place as we understand our shared history when we get to the end of the celebrations of the centenary period.

I welcome the Minister. It is important to place the commemoration in context. Not only are we about to commemorate seminal moments in the country's history but also in the history of the United Kingdom and the entire world. The forthcoming years afford us an opportunity to reflect on the foundation of the State and the creation of Northern Ireland. We should reflect on the fact that events did not just suddenly happen but were a continuation and development of centuries of conflict and misunderstanding. The forthcoming commemoration should also be rooted within the broader canvas of world politics in the early part of the 20th century, a century that brought us war and death on an unimaginable scale.

Many of these conflicts had their roots in earlier happenings. The century also brought to an end a vast complex of European colonial rule, which utterly changed politics internationally. There is no simple historical picture that can be painted of these times. They are complex historical events that defy a trite and sometimes calculated effort to mould them to suit a particular political narrative. Some people's efforts to speak to a wider understanding of events are roundly derided as they seem not to conform to a strictly nationalist "little Irelander" version of history. My sincere wish is that everyone's opinion, no matter how contrary it might seem, would be listened to with respect.

This country's history is common to all shades of belief. However, the remembrance and views on the significance of events at the time are not universally shared. The purpose of this decade of commemoration should be to imbue all our citizens with knowledge of the facts and a recognition that not all of those facts are viewed in the same manner by everyone. There are different and divergent traditions on this island - a hugely forgotten or hidden history. How many colleagues know that on Armistice Day, 11 November, in 1924, an crowd estimated at 50,000 people attended an unveiling in College Green of a Celtic cross commissioned in memory of those men of the 16th (Irish) Division - a cross that was later transported to Guillemont in France and erected in their honour? Contemporary newspaper accounts report that approximately 50,000 poppies were sold in Dublin and the surrounding area at the time. That should be to the forefront of everyone's mind in planning these events. If we are honest, the Republic was a very cold house for differing traditions post-Independence. We have a history replete with constitutional and legal provisions coupled with repressive social norms which acted as sometimes benign silencers of other people's views and beliefs. Listening to and sympathising with alternative viewpoints should be a hallmark of these forthcoming events. That is not the same thing as apologising for the creation of the State. We should never do that. In that regard, we should also celebrate the huge achievements of those times - the creation of the State, a vote for all and land transfer. These were hugely important happenings of which we should be justifiably proud. As the expert group advising Government put it, the aim should be to broaden sympathies without having to abandon loyalties, and, in particular, to recognise the value of ideals and sacrifices, including their cost.

The Minister is very welcome and I welcome the opportunity to put a few points to her. I will address the 1916 Rising commemorations, which are the most significant ones. It was a watershed moment in the history of this independent State. While other areas deserve to be commemorated, as I will not be able to cover all of them in a short five minutes, I will deal only with the 1916 commemorations, an area in which I am particularly interested. I welcome the Minister's speech, which I saw her deliver on the monitor. I know it is not easy when there are many groups representing many different people. I have had a number of meetings with the 1916 Relatives' Association. The Minister has a role in trying to bring these groups together and get agreement about how we move forward together. People will always have different views and it is not that anyone is trying to be difficult. They just have different views. It is not helpful that certain events might be boycotted. That is not the way to do it. The Minister can bring them together. It will not be a one-hour meeting, because the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising will be the most significant commemoration in the history of this State. While people talk about the Home Rule Bill and the passing of various different measures, in the scheme of all the commemorations, the 1916 commemorations are the most important and significant. We talk about different traditions, and I fully respect that, as members of my family come from different traditions. Two of my direct relatives fought in the 1916 Rising in the 4th Battalion Dublin Brigade of the IRA, while other family members served in the British Army. Let us deal with the commemoration that is approaching, which is that of the 1916 Rising.

I want to put it very clearly on the record that while the Government talks about inclusivity, with which I agree, I find it wholly inappropriate for any invitation to be issued to any member of the British royal family to attend the 100th anniversary commemorations of the 1916 Rising. If we were to do that, it would debase the commemorations. If we were to invite a member of the British royal family to attend, we might as well invite the relatives of General Sir John Maxwell along also and apologise for the distress we put their great-grandfather through when he decided to execute the leaders of the 1916 Rising. We have changed our relationship with Great Britain, which I very much welcome. I welcomed the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Dublin and the reciprocal visit by the President to Great Britain, but let us be straight about it: the 1916 commemorations relate to the fact that people in Ireland stood up to the might of the British Empire. The people who went out over Easter week knew they would not be successful, and they sacrificed themselves for the greater good of the Irish people. As the Minister knows, as many of its leaders were brutally executed afterwards, on that basis it would be inappropriate.

I welcome the educational initiative through our schools. Not enough about 1916 and the struggle for independence is taught in our schools. There is not enough focus on these events. I concur completely with Senators Ivana Bacik and Marck Daly about the role of Cumann na mBan, the role of women and the role of smaller groups in our society. I think of people such as Francis Sheehy-Skeffington and the pacifist movement. They need to be recognised also.

In respect of how to commemorate the last site of the Rising, Moore Street, where the leaders went after leaving the GPO, I welcome the decision by Dublin City Council to reject the proposals that were made. We are better off getting it right than just having something ready for 1916. The main commemorations will happen at the GPO, rightly so. However, the Minister could call for a fully independent battlefield site survey. This needs to be carried out. In fairness, nobody in the council can tell me why this has not been done. It is being done on behalf of the owners, Chartered Land, and NAMA. It is being done by their own people, but a full battlefield site survey needs to be carried out.

I say to those who would warn against any militaristic or overly militaristic commemorations that it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the role of the Irish Defence Forces and gardaí. It is wholly appropriate that the parade would be led by what is now Óglaigh na hÉireann - the Irish Army - whose predecessors took part in the 1916 Rising.

I know that we will have an opportunity to discuss this further and welcome some of the announcements. I hope the Minister reaches out to the 1916 Relatives' Association. She needs to mend those fences. I am not putting that down to her, but those fences need to be mended. We need those groups on board. From my perspective and that of my party, I do not believe it is appropriate for members of the British royal family to be given an invitation to the parade on Easter Sunday in Dublin and strongly reject any proposal to do so.

I welcome the Minister and commend her for the launch of the commemorations in a fitting location, namely, the GPO. It is a pity that a very small group of people could not see the bigger picture, but what is new in that? I come from a county that is steeped in history. Famous speeches were made in the square in Ennis. Daniel O'Connell is probably one of the most famous of these speakers, and others have included Éamon de Valera and Dr. Moosajee Bhamjee. We have heard from people who have made remarkable contributions. There is a street in Ennis named after Daniel O'Connell. I am glad that the Minister has recognised that this is a national commemoration and that there will be national events and engagement and consultation in every county, because every county has its own history. People from every county were involved in revolutions. I think back to the 1798 rebellion. I visited the National 1798 Rebellion Centre in County Wexford, which is a credit to the people of Wexford in terms of how it has brought the events of Vinegar Hill, the lead-up to those events and the story of Fr. Murphy to life.

The rebellion that followed a few years later has been recognised. The year 2016 will be a great one for Ireland. It will put The Gathering to shame, it will be so successful.

That is not possible.

It will. The Gathering was enormously successful, but we must always aim bigger and better and this will be. It will engage with every Irish person all over the world. We were talking here last night about the diaspora. This will bring the diaspora together. It should be a celebration of what we are, who we are, how far we have come and what we have achieved, as opposed to any kind of squabbling by any political figure, party, or activists. This should be a coming together in the true sense of meitheal which makes this a unique country and, in my view, the best in the world.

I also acknowledge and welcome the Minister's collaboration with the Minister for Education and Skills to bring schools into it, because I worry deeply about the future of history among the young people of this country. There was a time - only 20 years ago, when I was in secondary school - when the vast majority of people studied history up to leaving certificate. Now, many schools do not even offer history as an option at leaving certificate level because there is not enough demand. I am also worried that it might not be compulsory at junior certificate level. The commemoration of the 1916 Rising provides us with a wonderful opportunity to re-engage with young people and the teaching of history, because one cannot move forward unless one understands the past. We have had some amazing events in the last century: the 1916 Rising and two bloody world wars, the First World War and the Second World War, in which we saw the proliferation of Nazism and its effects, with millions of people losing their lives. Is it possible that the vast majority of our children in 20 years' time will not have any understanding of these important events? We have a responsibility to ensure that does not happen, and I hope this opportunity, which the Minister has kindly included in the programme of events, will be used. We must bring the Minister to the House to find out exactly what she is going to do to reignite the teaching of history in this country, because it is worrying. I spoke at length to Diarmaid Ferriter before I did a television programme on this issue. I have also spoken to other historians and have been contacted by the History Teachers' Association, which is deeply concerned about the diminution in the teaching of history. We can have a long-lasting impact with the commemoration. Obviously it will give us great meitheal and it will bring everyone together, but it will also have an effect in reigniting young people and getting the message across to the powers that be that education is not simply about mathematics, science and languages. They are important, but education is also about who we are, where we came from, how we got here and the people who created the country we have by making sacrifices. The commemoration programme that the Minister launched yesterday and that she has outlined here is tremendously welcome. We should keep this dialogue going in the Seanad in the run-up to 2016. The Minister is becoming a very welcome visitor to the House, and she should use this Chamber as a forum for discussing and possibly floating various ideas for the commemoration, because this is a work in progress.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Ba mhaith liom ar dtús fáilte a chur roimh an bhfógra a tháinig inné, mar táimid ag fanacht leis le fada, ach tá díomá orainn chomh maith leis an ábhar atá ins an gcáipéis ar fad. I welcome the Minister and the fact that at long last we have received some indication from the Government of how it intends to commemorate the 1916 Rising. However, we should not get carried away with ourselves over last night’s event in the GPO. I am sorry that my friend Senator Martin Conway does not see the irony of the fact that at the launch we had people outside - citizens of Ireland - protesting at the imposition of water charges. I wonder what the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation would have had to say about this.

Sinn Féin was not at the GPO.

This plan, which has been a long time coming, is very short on substance. Why has it taken the Government three years to come up with a plan for the various events and why has the planned three-month consultative process not happened? Why has the input of the Oireachtas consultation group on centenary commemorations been virtually ignored? My colleague Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh and others in the group discussed numerous ideas and offered well thought-out proposals for the commemoration, all of which, it appears, have gone unheeded. The glossy brochures presented last evening, with their smart artist’s impressions and colourful formats, are devoid of any real substance or specifics. One can only conclude the whole thing was literally thrown together a day or two ago.

This slapdash approach to the 1916 Rising is not only disrespectful to the valiant men and women of the Irish Citizen Army, the Irish Volunteers and the IRB; it also portrays a callous and cynical indifference to the ideals, hopes and vision of a free Ireland that those people held. Therein lies the rub. This is the very thing that scares the living daylights out of all of the establishment parties, particularly the current Government. The fact is that Ireland's key cultural institutions are in a state of neglect and disarray owing to a shocking lack of public funding. Year after year, budget after budget, the Government has cut funding to the key cultural institutions. When it comes to funding and supports, the Government's record is abysmal. As is so often noted, there is madness in starving these institutions to the point of unsustainability at the very same time as public interest in what they are doing is booming.

I acknowledge that the Government has supported the restoration of Richmond Barracks and Kilmainham Courthouse. However, in Kilmainham Gaol, the second most visited tourist site in the country, we see yet another lost opportunity owing to a lack of vision and funding. It is now almost impossible for members of the public to gain access to the gaol during the summer because almost all of the tours are pre-booked by touring companies. While it is welcome that Richmond Barracks, Kilmainham Courthouse and Pearse’s Cottage in Ros Muc are all either undergoing or about to undergo a process of restoration, I am baffled by the inclusion of the National Concert Hall and the tenement project in Henrietta Street in the commemoration plans.

Cuirim fáilte faoi leith roimh an togra i Ros Muc. Ach maidir leis an Ghaeilge, atá luaite sa phlean mar chuid lárnach agus go deimhin bhí sí lárnach i bhfís sínitheorí Fhorógra na Poblachta agus an dream a sheas suas i 1916 ach tá easpa léiriú na físe sin le feiceáil sa méid atá á chomóradh ag an Rialtas. Mar shampla, rinne Conradh na Gaeilge cánadh géar ar maidin ar an bplean. Deir an tUasal Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill, uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge, nach bhfuil aon tionscnamh ann a láidreoidh an Ghaeilge mar theanga phobal, cur chuige a luífeadh le fís ceannais 1916. Tá dearcadh an Rialtais i leith na Gaeilge i saol oifigiúil na tíre seo soiléir agus teideal Béarla baistithe ar an gclár - "Ireland 2016" in áit "Éire 2016" - agus trí suíomh gréasáin comórtha a sheoladh atá maslach, míphroifisiúnta agus a thugann ísliú stádais eile don Ghaeilge. It would appear that the Irish language version of the website the Minister has launched used a translation service similar to Google. I ask her to clarify this issue. If that is the case, it is absolutely unacceptable, particularly given that she has a remit covering the Irish language and the Gaeltacht.

To return to the issue of Henrietta Street, is the Government so far removed from the reality of daily life for thousands of ordinary people in Ireland that it thinks we need or want a tenement project in order that we can see and learn about bad housing? We have thousands of families made up of women and young children, and thousands more single men and women who are on public housing lists the length and breadth of the country. We also have a chronic homelessness issue that official Ireland disgracefully turns its back on and ignores. We have a state and a political elite that have consciously and deliberately not invested in any substantial public housing projects in recent years. In this context, the Henrietta Street project can only be classed as an abject display of official ignorance and indifference to the meaning and values of 1916 for contemporary Irish society.

The elephant in the room is the Government’s failure, or refusal - however one wants to describe it - to save and preserve Moore Street and the historical quarter - or the lanes of history, as the Taoiseach referred to them - for this and future generations of Irish people. We should not forget that it was as a result of corruption and wheeling and dealing among Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party that the country's most significant historical site in the context of the 1916 Rising and the foundation of the State will shortly be turned into a parking lot and shopping arcade.

There is no corruption in the Labour Party.

In fairness, there is not.

When in government, Fianna Fáil could have issued a compulsory purchase order and acquired Moore Street and the surrounding historical lanes from NAMA. The current Government could, if it wanted, do exactly the same. However this is not happening. Instead, a bankrupt private developer was allowed to let this priceless historical quarter descend into a state of abject disrepair and decay. One would have to wonder what it is the owner of Chartered Land has on all of these politicians, that they defer and succumb to his every wish and are prepared to commit cultural genocide in the process.

I call again on the Government to save Moore Street and develop it for and in the interest of all the people of Ireland. If we are genuine about remembering the Easter Rising, the women and men of 1916 deserve no less.

I welcome the Minister. Many Members have spoken about the importance of including relatives of those involved in the commemoration. Much history would be lost but for the folklore and the handing down of the tales through the direct descendants of the 1916 Rising. I express my appreciation to those descendants for their attendance at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government for a meeting on the Easter Rising and for presenting to us. I heard the Minister say on radio this morning that it is a priority for her to ensure relatives get the recognition they deserve. Without the relatives, we would not have a commemoration.

My grandchildren, Helena and Seán, are a great great grand-niece and great great grand-nephew of Michael Collins, as my son married a first cousin of Nora Owen and Mary Banotti, two fine politicians who served in the Houses previously. The father of Michael Collins died when Michael was only six, but he said that his sister Helena, after whom my granddaughter is called, would be a nun and she was. He said of Michael, who was six at the time, that one day he would be a great man and would do great work for Ireland. He did.

We plan to commemorate all the great leaders of the 1916 Rising, but I want to speak in particular about Pádraig Pearse agus an tsuim a bhí aige sa teanga Gaeilge agus faoin scoil a bhunaigh sé i Rath Fearnáin, i dteach a seasann anois mar an Pearse Museum. Bunaíodh an scoil sin sa bhliain 1910 agus ba scoil dhá theangach é ar dtús. Dúirt Seanadóir éigin níos luaithe nár ceart do comóradh 1916 a bheith over militaristic agus gur ceart oideachas a chur chun cinn. Education should be put to the fore in the 1916 commemorations. No better place to do that than in the school set up by Pádraig Pearse in Rathfarnham. He moved to Rathfarnham from Ranelagh in 1910 and set up a bilingual school there, which operated as a bilingual school until 1935, when due to financial circumstances it had to close.

I commend the management, staff and the OPW for the work they have done in expanding the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham. Much work has been done. The museum was handed over to the State and it has put significant work into the house over the years and into developing the museum devoted to Pearse. The museum contains many of the original rooms, including Pearse's study, the family sitting room, the school art gallery and one of the dormitories. It was a bilingual Irish-English school and we are all aware of the emphasis Pádraig Pearse placed on the Irish language. His former cottage in Rosmuc is also receiving significant attention now.

I urge the Minister to consider the great work being done by the staff and management in Rathfarnham. Perhaps the museum could be used for a cruinniú of Gaelscoileanna to put some emphasis on the educational aspect of the commemoration. This should be done to acknowledge the emphasis Pádraig Pearse put on education. As Members have said, there are many different views on 1916. The use of the Pearse Museum would provide an ideal opportunity to ensure the educational aspect of the 1916 Rising would be transmitted.

The Mná na hÉireann project involves a sculpture project. I made a representation to the former Minister, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, regarding a Stuart Dunne sculpture of an Irish woman involved in the 1916 Rising. I do not suggest the sculpture should be of a woman from my area. While Anne Devlin, faithful servant of Robert Emmet, lived long before the time of the Easter Rising, one of the reasons Pádraig Pearse came to Rathfarnham was because of his admiration for Robert Emmet. Many women could be put forward as the subject for the sculpture, such as Julia Grennan, Elizabeth O'Farrell, Winifred Carney and any member of Cumann na mBan. I have made a representation on behalf of Stuart Dunne for the Mná na hÉireann project for 1916.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Seanad. Ar deireadh thiar thall, tá díospóireacht ar siúl sa Teach agus tá ráiteas déanta ag an Rialtas maidir le comóradh 1916. Gan aon amhras, seo é an comóradh is tábhachtaí sa deich mbliana de chomórtha atá le ceiliúradh againn.

There is no doubt that the 1916 Rising is the most important commemoration for this country in this decade of commemorations. I would like to see the 1916 commemoration as the primary focus of what the State and the people celebrate over the next ten years. I agree we must be inclusive and must look at all traditions, but in doing that we must not dilute any tradition. We must respect the tradition of everybody. My tradition is connected to 1916 and I and many historians believe it is the most important and focal point. However, that does not stop me from attending remembrance day events, which are not directly part of my tradition. As far as I know, some people are only finding out about relatives involved in the First World War and I will attend a number of celebrations of that kind over the weekend.

When we talk about inclusivity and about respecting all traditions, we must not dilute any of these traditions. This is the one concern I have about the commemoration of 1916. I was disappointed with the presentation made last night and expressed my disappointment on social media. Although it was well designed graphically, it looks as though it was cobbled together at the last minute and as though little thought went into it. My colleague Senator Mark Daly is a member of the committee, but its role is unclear currently and it seems to have been sidelined by the parties in the Government. I hope the cross-party committee is given a key role in the plans. Some changes have been made.

It was disappointing to watch a video about commemorating 1916 in which we saw more of the Queen and of David Cameron. Notwithstanding the importance of the events in which they participated, the men who signed the Proclamation deserve to be recognised. I think I picked up what Senator fiach Mac Conghail said correctly and agree we must be proud of what we did. The United States commemorates its war of independence and its independence, without affecting its excellent relationship with the United Kingdom. Without dragging the United Kingdom back into the fray at all times, it has a close relationship with it, while recognising there was a war and they fought and stood for their ideals. We must look at the issues here in the same light. When we are commemorating other significant events, we must look at them individually and consider their importance. While they happened at the same time as events here, the people involved in those events may have had different objectives.

I wish the Minister well with her planning. I believe the Government has belatedly looked at the issues. I have confidence in former Senator Maurice Manning as chairman of the committee. I note the former Senator and Minister of State Martin Mansergh is also on the committee. I suggest he would be a suitable vice chairman of the committee and that he would reflect our traditions. On the national events planned, I see the list of capital projects being planned and funded in a positive light and welcome them.

While the public consultation period is welcome, as I stated last night, members of the public appear to have been asked for their views at the last minute. A committee has been meeting on this issue. Let us hope these issues are resolved. All sorts of rows took place before the millennium, with accusations that not enough was being done. This tends to occur in the political sphere. It is important that the Government do all it can in this matter.

I draw the Minister's attention to the Battle of Ashbourne which took place towards the end of Easter week 1916. A non-party community group in Ashbourne is planning a commemoration of what was the most important battle to take place outside Dublin during Easter week. This battle deserves to be commemorated as part of the national celebrations. It would not interfere with any of the other celebrations that are planned. I emphasise the community aspect of the proposed commemoration in Ashbourne, in which I do not have any direct involvement, although, like many other politicians in the area, I have provided it with assistance. I hope the Minister will respond. I wish her well in performing this extremely important task.

Let us be proud of and recognise what our forefathers achieved. Let us also recognise the progress we have made and the future ahead, while never forgetting the supreme sacrifice that was made at the time. That is what we commemorate about the 1916 Rising: the ideals and sacrifice, the words of the Proclamation and the actions of those who signed it, as well as those who fought in the Rising. I remember my own relative, Michael Hilliard, who subsequently became a Minister. He was too young to be sent to Frongoch camp, as he was only about 13 years old, and I understand he escaped. The leaders of the Rising were also exceptionally young. Éamon de Valera was one of the oldest among them. The sacrifice made by these young people at the time must be reflected in the commemoration. The Government spoke of the importance of youth. It is important to remember how young the leaders were.

I welcome the Minister. I was pleased to be present in the General Post Office last evening for the launch of the 2016 celebrations. As I stated on the Order of Business, I look forward to the inclusion of Seán Mac Diarmada's house in Kiltyclogher as part of the celebrations or commemorations that will take place in 2016. I thank the Office of Public Works for the investment it has made in the house, which was visited by the former Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW and former Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Brian Hayes, MEP, and Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, respectively. I extend an invitation to the Minister to visit the house when the opportunity presents. It is in exactly the same condition as it was when Seán Mac Diarmada left it in 1914 or 1915, other than that the Office of Public Works has replaced the roof. I look forward to a visit from the Minister and to showing her around County Leitrim. An interpretative centre will open in Kiltyclogher at the end of this month. It would be great if she could visit north County Leitrim around that time.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan referred to the golden jubilee year in 1966. I am revealing my age when I recall that I recited the Proclamation in our local hall at the time. This brings me to the importance of getting schools involved in the commemorations. Every time I see the Proclamation, I am reminded of the night in the local hall when I and others recited it, as well as the many other events held in 1966 to commemorate the Rising.

Senator Mark Daly referred to Cumann na mBan. It is important that we celebrate the women who gave their time in the period from 1916 through the Civil War when Cumann na mBan members were still active. Two of my aunts were involved in Cumann na mBan and later emigrated to America. I look forward to their families returning to County Leitrim in 2016 to celebrate the occasion with us. I will contact the Minister about the possibility of arranging a visit to County Leitrim. I hope she will be able to visit at some stage.

I congratulate the Minister and look forward to working with her in my capacity as a member of the 2016 commemoration committee, which was appointed by the Taoiseach. Last night's event in the GPO, the main site of the Rising, was a very moving experience and it was a great privilege to participate in it. I was born in Dundalk and we Border people are acutely sensitive to this issue. I am not arguing that people born elsewhere are not similarly sensitive. My grandmother was from west Belfast, and as a child I used to travel by train from Dundalk to Belfast. I was reared on stories of Pádraig Pearse. It was a great feeling to be present at last night's event. I thought of my father who used to bring us to the GPO to view the beautiful statue of Cú Chulainn with an eagle on his shoulder. It was fantastic to attend last night in an official capacity.

I agree with the comments made on raising awareness of women's participation in the Rising. A book entitled Women of the Irish Revolution will be launched tonight in Richmond Barracks, which is an extraordinary place to visit. Visiting the barracks, where the trials of those who took part in the Rising were held, sent a shiver down my spine. Members of the commemoration committee visited in an official capacity and it was very moving to think that the leaders were placed on trial there.

I was also privileged to attend an event to mark the 94th anniversary of Kevin Barry's execution on 1 November last. I found the event very emotional because, as a child, I used to play the song "Kevin Barry" on the piano.

Like Senator Ivana Bacik, I remember watching tanks roll along O'Connell Street and asking why we were flaunting weapons of war. While I was aware that our troops were participating in peacekeeping operations, I could not understand the point of the tanks and found it upsetting that they should be used.

Members of the Oireachtas and local authorities must ensure that more women are involved in the commemorations. Women and men have different opinions, and we need diversity and a woman's voice. The Minister spoke about commemorating the women of Cumann na mBan in Ballina and the events planned to commemorate that organisation. Countess Markievicz trained members of Cumann na mBan in a small wood in Sandyford near where I live in Dundrum.

When I attended Bolton Street college of technology in the early 1960s after completing the leaving certificate, I did not want to be an actor as I hated acting. However, I worked on the sets of plays and at one time the theatre group was desperate to find someone to play a minor role in "The Plough and the Stars". I obliged and found it a great experience to play a part in that play in Bolton Street which was so close to where the events depicted in it took place.

The 1916 Rising commemorations must inspire people to be idealistic about their country. We lived through a bad period of excessive materialism, with everyone wanting bigger houses and so on. While I am fully in favour of people having a good standard of living, we should also acknowledge that public service is a beautiful way to live.

We should be inspired by Pádraig Pearse and Kevin Barry who was only 18 years old when he was executed. We should become familiar with the songs, poetry and so on. We must get more women involved with politics and have more diverse institutions. Senator Mooney knows it is very hard for me sometimes, as I may be the only woman attending a political party meeting.

The Senator can more than hold her own.

I cannot. Sometimes I get very hurt. Perhaps I can hold my own on the surface. We need to get more women in here, as they represent half the population. We must lift the spirits of young people so they can be idealistic about their country. When I started Lir Chocolates, I had never heard of profit; I did it to create employment. When I was elected to the Seanad, I did not know I was to be paid. People may not believe this.

The Senator found out quickly enough.

I am not saying I did not. It is not all about accumulating money; the first priority is the development of potential. One must be passionate about what one is doing.

Ní bheidh me ró-fhada. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. The Minister's proposal to engage with the diaspora is a wonderful idea, as we all know members of the diaspora in various parts of the world. They will play a significant part in the commemoration.

As the Minister indicated, the period from 1912 to 1922 was one of the most eventful in the country's history. From the campaign for Home Rule, the 1913 Lock-out, the First World War and the Easter Rising of 1916 to the foundation of the Free State, this was a decade of immense upheaval and change in our country. I agree it is of the utmost importance that the dignity of those who suffered and died be paramount and that relatives be given pride of place in remembering family members. The formation of Cumann na mBan, which cannot be over-emphasised, was absolutely vital in the empowerment, both politically and socially, of women in this country. It is very important that women's participation in the Easter Rising continues to be fully acknowledged as we reach this very important year in our history.

A national initiative led by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will develop, co-ordinate and deliver a programme of activity to honour and remember those who fought and died in the Easter Rising. I commend the Minister and her Department for this programme. The emphasis is on the participation of youth and communities, and there is no doubt that each parish and community in the country has a contribution to make. I spoke with two young girls from the grammar school in Dundalk ten days ago and asked them what was their favourite subject at school. A previous contributor mentioned how history is taught in our schools. I was delighted that both of these girls told me history was their favourite subject. They had been here two years ago and received a tour of the Parliament. That was part of the reason. One of the girls asked me if I had a history book that she could read at the weekend. The girls and the rest of their class love history because their teacher made it fun to learn and they looked forward to the class. It was great to see two young girls with such an interest.

History teachers in schools for the next year or year and a half have a part to play in emphasising the history of the 1916 Rising and getting school pupils involved. I cannot over-emphasise how pleased I was to hear that two young, attractive girls who were 13 or 14 years old were interested in history and following through on it. Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Aire.

I compliment the Minister on the document produced today. It is not too late; in fact, it is rather timely. Sometimes, if the lead-in is too long, we can miss some of the important issues. Last year we saw commemorations of the 1913 Lock-out. When I attended the events at the GPO, the general public were incensed at being left standing outside for over 45 minutes while a few dignitaries were treated to something or other inside the building. I sincerely hope any planned reception will take place either before or after the event. The general public should not be left standing outside like goms waiting for Caesar to arrive.

The relatives of those involved with the 1916 Rising commemoration have been mentioned. There are associations, but families all over the country had relatives involved with the 1916 Rising, and I ask that the Department make every effort to advertise in local and national media to ask relatives of those who fought in 1916 to come forward and be recognised. Not everybody is linked to an association or group.

We have entered the most complex period in Irish history and there is a multiplicity of memory in our nation state. It would be wrong of us to try to feed all of those memories. The year 1916 is Ireland's and it is not owned by the Somme or anything else. I have worn uniforms on all sides and been a proud soldier in the Irish Defence Forces. I regret that I differ with my colleagues, Senators Mary White and Ivana Bacik, on this issue. It is a day for the military and the Defence Forces, which have a proud tradition of peacekeeping throughout the world, to parade themselves. I regret to advise Senators that we do not have any tanks, but we have a couple of miserable armoured cars that will not leave anybody shaking in their boots. It is important that the military comes out on the day and celebrates its upholding of our democracy. The public in general would love to see them. I ask that those who most recently returned from United Nations peacekeeping be allowed to parade in their United Nations uniforms to celebrate the peace they have brought to certain parts of the world. Many of our soldiers and young men lost their lives while defending peace in the Lebanon, Chad and various other places around the world. We must recognise this.

I appreciate that the anniversaries of the battles at the Somme and Gallipoli are approaching. We should commemorate Gallipoli, particularly as it involved the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who were trapped on the beaches there for a time.

We can celebrate that event because it took place in 1915. However, 1916 is Ireland's year. It is the year those brave men and women stood up for our democracy and stepped forward as the founding fathers of this State. We must recognise their achievement. Moreover, I agree with colleagues that it would be anathema to invite any member of the British royal family to Ireland for our 1916 celebrations. There is no reason that a British royal should not be invited to participate in our remembrance of 1922, for example, but it would be wrong to do so in 2016.

I am delighted to hear about the Minister's plans for an education programme. I hope it works its way from national schools through to the third level institutions. On the issue of the teaching of history in schools, I agree with Senator Martin Conway that it is a vital part of our memory and our culture. Those who forget the past are most likely to revisit it. I urge that there be an extensive engagement with schools.

The programme of commemorations the Minister has outlined is ambitious and I wish her well in implementing it.

I join speakers on all sides of the House in wishing the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, well in progressing her plans for a programme of commemorative events to mark the centenary of 1916. Without wishing to be divisive - I recognise that we all have our individual views on these issues - I note the emergence of a common theme among speakers on this side of the Chamber in our emphasis on the 1916 Rising as a seminal event in Irish history. Of course, it is not just about the event itself but also its legacy. What was done in 1916 led to the achievement of partial independence for the island of Ireland.

It is a question of celebrating and commemorating. We commemorate the event itself, which was a blood sacrifice by a group of very brave and courageous people - they must be considered such by any stretch of the imagination - who went into battle knowing defeat was inevitable and their own lives would be forfeited. They acted from the very highest of motives, namely, to secure for the people of this country a free and independent existence detached from the then all-powerful British Empire. I support Senator Michael Comiskey's comments on Seán Mac Diarmada's cottage in Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim. I have visited it on many occasions during the years for various events. Just as the events in Dublin at Easter 1916 were not universally accepted by people in this city, there were mixed views about Mac Diarmada in County Leitrim. I remember hearing that a memorial service that was held in the church in Kiltyclogher some time after his execution was very poorly attended. This gives an indication of the mood of people at that time. Ireland was involved in a world war and its people were, in the main, supportive of the war effort on the basis that it was genuinely in the interests of Irish freedom. In that climate, the actions of the revolutionaries were not universally accepted. The stories are plentiful about prisoners being spat on by ordinary people as they were brought through the streets of Dublin. Many of these people had sons, brothers and other family members fighting for Irish freedom, as they saw it, on the Continent.

This leads me to the element of revisionism that has crept into this debate in recent months. I was particularly taken by the view articulated by former Taoiseach John Bruton that the Rising should not have happened at all. After all, he argues, we already had secured Home Rule. In fact, we had not secured Home Rule but only a diluted form of it. A 32 county arrangement was not on offer. The original achievement of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1910 to 1912 in securing a commitment to Home Rule for the 32 counties of Ireland was remarkable and should be applauded. However, this was not what emerged following the obfuscation and conspiracies that were going on within the British Cabinet at that time. Many members of that Cabinet were anti-Irish and anti-Nationalist and they pulled the wool over the eyes of John Redmond.

The Home Rule proposal that was presented to the Irish people in the middle of the war was a diluted, partitionist arrangement from which the North was to be allowed to secede. We were not even talking about the Six Counties at this point but the whole nine counties of Ulster. When that was no longer on the cards, the Unionists fought tooth and nail to ensure Fermanagh and Tyrone were included, even though they should, in the normal course of events, have been incorporated into an independent Ireland.

I say all of this in order to present a counter view to all that we have been hearing about the futility of what was done in 1916. The Rising was not a futile act but a brave act on behalf of people who believed in their cause. It is sometimes forgotten that the reason the rebels in the GPO surrendered, the reason Pádraig Pearse went out, accompanied by a woman, to hand over the terms of surrender, was that neither he nor his colleagues wished to inflict any more loss of innocent life on Dublin. They stepped down not because they realised they would not be able to defeat the British forces - the gunboat Helga was on the quays at this stage, shelling half of Dublin into smithereens - but because they wanted to protect innocent life. That does not sound like the actions of people who had a casual approach to the value of life. That is the vision we are commemorating.

Like Senator Gerard P. Craughwell, I have tremendous pride in the Defence Forces. I had an uncle who served in the forces and I have always defended their record. As a colleague of mine said earlier when we were chatting about this issue, it is useful to overlay contemporary events with the events of 1916. We cannot deny the military dimension. The Rising was, after all, a military act and an act of rebellion against the British Empire. In commemorating what happened, we must acknowledge that reality. In my home county of Leitrim we have a particular interest in events commemorating 1916. As well as Seán Mac Diarmada, there is another Leitrim connection in the person of Thomas MacDonagh, whose people were from Carrigallen on the Cavan-Leitrim border. I am sure they and their colleagues, including Pádraig Pearse, would have relished the delicious irony that today the Irish Defence Forces have an international reputation for bringing peace to the world. That to me is the ultimate legacy of 1916.

I thank Senators for their thoughtful, considered and constructive contributions. I appreciate their openness and sincerity in the course of what has been a very informative debate. It is somewhat apt that 16 Senators have contributed.

I thank Senator Mark Daly for his kind comments. He and Senator White are members of the all-party Oireachtas working group on commemorations. The Senator's proposal regarding the Garden of Remembrance is a good one, as is his suggestion on the distribution of information packs. Engagement with schools will be central to our preparations and consultations.

Senators Cáit Keane, Ivana Bacik, Mary White and others referred to the role of women in the events of the decade we are commemorating.

I am mindful of the role of women in the movement during the decade of centenaries and will ensure women are accorded their due recognition. I am committed to remembering the important role that women played socially and politically.

The President laid a wreath in Glasnevin Cemetery to commemorate Cumann na mBan. A plaque was also unveiled in Wynn's Hotel to commemorate that organisation and there was a conference in Collins Barracks. As Senator Mary White noted, "Women of the Irish Revolution: A Photographic History" will be launched this evening at Richmond Barracks.

The tenement museum project, which evolved from the 1913 Lock-out events, will take on board the social and economic impacts of the decade, which were mostly felt by women. It is also important to take account of the human dimension and the human sacrifice. Reference has been made to the parades. They need to be inclusive and we also need to include our new communities. I want all of these suggestions to feed into this plan and the consultation.

I want to engage with the relatives. I have said very clearly that my door is open. I want to engage with them to get their views and ideas on the commemorations. I met a number of relatives' groups. Last Tuesday I met one such group and its PR consultant. It was a very positive meeting and we all agreed to work together. For some reason, this group decided not to attend the event yesterday evening. I was disappointed that it made such a decision but I remain open to working with it.

Will the Minister remember the groups that do not have PR consultants? Some poor unfortunates cannot afford them.

I have met a number of groups. I join Senator Fiach Mac Conghail in remembering Dr. Brian Farrell. I concur with the Senator on the importance of the expert group, which is making a great contribution and provides a fair and balanced analysis.

These commemorations do not belong to the Government or the Opposition; they belong to the people. I want to engage communities throughout the country. I spoke to the county and city managers last night. They are a great way to tap into local communities. They have a great framework and I look forward to working closely with them. The consultation will last for three months. I want to include everyone and contact can be made through my Department or the website, ireland.ie.

The budget allocation is €4 million for 2015 and further consideration will be given in the budget negotiations for 2016. That is a strong indication of the Government's commitment to the commemorations. The culture 2025 target is 2016. I agree that we can interpret and understand the 1916 Rising through the arts. We need to push out the boundaries and there is nobody better at doing that than the artists. I look forward to Yeats2015 and recognising his motives in promoting the cultural revival of the period. The capital projects are a bequest to future generations in memory of the men and women of 1916. The tenement museum and Richmond Barracks projects will reside in the social sphere. We are commemorating from the ground up and I want everybody to be involved. We are supporting a poignant exhibition in the Hugh Lane Gallery on the lithographs of the First World War which have been beautifully restored.

Senator Hildegarde Naughten referred to the Land Acts. It is important that we recognise the major role played by the Land League and the Irish Parliamentary Party in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Senator Martin Conway emphasised the ground-up approach and involving the local authorities. I agree with him.

I am disappointed with the negative approach taken by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.

I am equally disappointed.

In the spirit of inclusiveness, I want to work with everybody to have an appropriate and respectful commemoration in 2016. It is a very important event in our history and it was in that spirit of inclusiveness that we set out the overarching plan to which people can contribute. It is important that people get involved because it is not about particular individuals, groups or parties; it is about all of the people of Ireland. There were technical problems with the website but they have been sorted. They were mainly due to the large volume of traffic visiting it, even though it was only launched yesterday evening.

The vice chairman of the all-party commemorations committee is the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Áodhan Ó Ríordáin, and Martin Mansergh is the vice chairman of the expert committee. In regard to Senator Comiskey's comments, I hope to visit County Leitrim shortly. I agree with Senator Gerard P. Craughwell that people should not be left waiting past the starting time. I thank Senators for their contributions and I look forward to working with them on what I hope will be a very successful commemoration.

When is it proposed to sit again?

At 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 18 November 2014.

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