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Sunday, April 16, 2006

Dublin commemorates Easter Rising

From the BBC - Sunday, 16 April 2006

Tens of thousands of people have attended a parade in Dublin commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. The Easter Sunday parade, which features 2,500 military personnel, is the first in Dublin for 37 years. Wreaths have been laid and a minute's silence was held in commemoration of all civilian and military personnel, including the British, killed in 1916. Irish premier Bertie Ahern and President Mary McAleese attended. Mr Ahern said the commemorations would give an opportunity for "remembrance, reconciliation and renewal".

He said those participating would "fittingly commemorate the patriotism and vision of those who set in train an unstoppable process" which led to Ireland's political independence. The ceremony marked the start of events in the Irish Republic to commemorate the rising. Military personnel, some saluting atop tanks and others marching with fixed bayonets, paraded past the bullet-scarred spot where rebels mounted the rebellion. The streets along the route were lined by tens of thousands of spectators, while hundreds of thousands more watched live on television.

Mr Ahern laid a wreath in Kilmainham Jail as a mark of respect to the men executed after the revolt. The BBC's James Helm in Dublin said the parade had stirred up debate about the revolt and how Dublin should mark its anniversary. In the early 1970s, during the Troubles, the military parades were stopped and official commemorations became more low key. The 1916 Easter Rising saw Irish rebels attempt to seize the capital from British imperial forces. British troops put down the rebellion and many of its ringleaders were captured and executed.

5 comments:

dbackdad said...

I can't read about either the 1916 or 1970's events without hearing U2's song in my head. I've always been fascinated by Irish history and have read a biography of Michael Collins and Gerry Adams' autobiography ... enjoying both. Obviously it's easier to view the conflict with more of a sense of academic detachment being American.

CyberKitten said...

The British (over) reaction to the Easter Uprising still makes me angry when I read about it. Partially I guess its my Irish ancestry but the things the British forces did to restore order... I mean they used field artillery pieces to root out pockets of resistence. Can you imagine that? I also remember that one of the rebels was still too ill (recovering from his wounds) after he'd been convicted, so they had him tied to a chair so they could shoot him by firing squad.

I understand it was a time of war... but the violent crushing of the rebellion was a serious mistake and led to problems for generations to come. It is certainly one of the darker incidents in our history.

Juggling Mother said...

And did you lean about it at school?

Actually, did you learn about any British history at school - other than maybe Elizabethan (we discovered & colonized everywhere) or WW2 (we won)?

At least the Americans teach their kids some US history!

CyberKitten said...

We did some UK History. Not much though........

dbackdad said...

We get one "version" of US history. Like you, to get the truth of any thing, you really have to look in a lot of places.