Published on Monday23rdNovember2015

Minister Flanagan launches the “Ireland 2016” commemorations programme in Britain

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Minister Flanagan, singer Camille O'Sullivan and Ambassador Dan Mulhall at the launch of the “Ireland 2016” commemorations programme

This afternoon at the Irish Embassy in London Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan launched the programme of creative, community and commemorative events to take place in Britain to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising and historical events of 1916.

Part of the ambitious Global and Diaspora programme for Ireland 2016, the programme is being organised by the Embassy of Ireland in London, Culture Ireland and the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh.

Minister Flanagan said:

This is an exciting and busy programme. It offers an occasion to reflect on what happened in Ireland a century ago and on its impact on relationships on these islands. These reflections will also acknowledge the richness and complexity of these historical events by focusing on their cultural, academic, economic and artistic strands, as well as the broader political narrative.

Reflecting on our approach to commemorations and the complex and diverse relationships between Ireland and Britain, Minister Flanagan said:

Our approach to Ireland 2016, and to the Decade of Centenaries, has been guided by the principle that all commemorative activity should be inclusive, appropriate and respectful.

The Decade of Centenaries has offered us the opportunity to reflect on important aspects of our sometimes shared and sometimes contested history, from the Home Rule Bill of 1912 to Gallipoli, and from the Easter Rising to the Somme. The commemorative programme acknowledges and honours the past in all its complexity but also seeks to look ahead to the future direction of relations between our two countries.