merrion street

Event will also be shown in London, Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Belgrade, Hanoi, Lusaka and San Francisco

A gala screening will take place tonight (Wednesday 16th March) in the National Concert Hall, Dublin of 1916 The Irish Rebellion, the landmark University of Notre Dame documentary narrated by Liam Neeson. A major event forming part of the overall programme marking Ireland’s 1916 Centenary Year, the gala screening will be shown before an audience of almost 1,000 guests and with live performances by the RTE Concert Orchestra and other artists. It will be attended by President Michael D. Higgins and MC for the evening is Claire Byrne.

As a special initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Global and Diaspora strand of Ireland 2016, the gala screening will also be shown live by Irish diplomatic missions at venues in London, Paris, Madrid, Budapest and Belgrade. Further recorded screenings are scheduled to take place in Hanoi, Lusaka and San Francisco, with additional viewings of the documentary planned in multiple other global locations throughout 2016.

First broadcast by RTE in three parts, 1916 The Irish Rebellion examines the Easter Rising in Dublin and the subsequent events that led to the establishment of an independent Irish State. The documentary was conceived by Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame and produced by COCO Television. It includes interviews with key Irish and international historians and academics as well as previously unreleased archival footage. The special musical score being played live this evening was written by award-winning composer Patrick Cassidy.

Speaking from the United States where he is currently engaged in a series of St. Patrick’s Day-related events in Washington D.C. and New York, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan T.D. said: “I am delighted that members of the Irish diaspora and friends of Ireland around the globe will have the opportunity to view this important documentary on the events of that fateful Easter Week and the global context in which the 1916 Rising occurred. I congratulate the University of Notre Dame and all involved in producing it and hope that tonight’s event in the National Concert Hall will help our Global Irish family to feel closely connected with the commemoration and celebration of this formative episode in our nation’s history.”

Speaking in advance of the screening, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Joe McHugh said: “ In this year, when we mark the centenary of events in which the Irish community abroad played a key role, we will remember and indeed celebrate the influence the diaspora have had, and continue to have, here in Ireland as they return with new ideas and fresh insights, and abroad as they contribute hugely to the nations which have become their second home.”

Narrator Liam Neeson said: “1916 is a significant documentary series. As an Irishman, it is of course part of my history. The series puts the Easter Rising in a broader more international context than has ever been done, and shows how it inspired similar movements around the world. What attracted me most was that the series also focuses on the personal stories of those involved. These stories are very human and powerful.”

Briona Nic Dhiarmada, Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame and writer and producer of ‘1916 The Irish Rebellion’ said: “The documentary, accompanying book and dvd is a culmination of a very fruitful association between the Keough-Naughton Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame and COCO Television. One of our aims was to tease out the international aspects of the Rising and the fact that it will be shown not only in Ireland and the US but also on five continents in the centenary year, is a huge honour”.

Ends

The Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, led by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, T.D., is a year-long programme of activity to commemorate the events of the 1916 Rising, to reflect on our achievements over the last 100 years and to look towards Ireland’s future. Full details of the programme are available at www.ireland.ie. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @ireland2016 #ireland2016

1916 was created and written by Bríona Nic Dhiarmada. Executive Producers for COCO Television Productions Limited: Linda Cullen, Director of Television, and Stuart Switzer, Chief Executive Officer. Producers: Bríona Nic Dhiarmada, Jackie Larkin. Directors: Ruán Magan, Pat Collins. U.S. Executive Producers: Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel. Composer: Patrick Cassidy. Music is performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra; “Mise Éire” is performed by Sibeal Ni Chasaide.