Semicentennial of the Easter Rising

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The Semi-centennial of the Easter Rising in Ireland occurred in 1966. Many events took place to mark the events of 1916.

Contents

Easter Sunday

Celebrations began on Easter Sunday on April 10, 1966 when a Military parade took place in Dublin. An estimated 200,000 people attended the march as it paraded down O'Connell Street before stopped outside the General Post Office, the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising leaders. The then Irish president Éamon de Valera took the salute with an estimated 900 veterans of the Easter Rising by his side. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Later in the day, the president laid a wreath at Kilmainham Gaol, the execution site of the leaders. The museum was officially opened.

Easter Monday

Religious services were held across the country on Easter Monday in remembrance of the veterans of the Rising. The Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square was opened by the President and later in the day Radio Éireann presented a live commemorative concert that was held live at the Gaiety Theatre. [5]

Commemorative coin

During Semi-centennial celebrations, the first Commemorative coins of Ireland known simply as the Ten shilling coin was issued. The coin was designed by Thomas Humphrey Paget and was valued at 10 shillings, therefore having the highest value coin in the pre-decimal system. [6]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easter Rising centenary parade</span>

The Easter Rising centenary parade took place in Dublin city on Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising. It involved all branches of the Defence Forces, including the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and Reserve Defence Forces, as well as the Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the HSE National Ambulance Service, the Irish Coast Guard, the Irish Prison Service and Customs, the Red Cross, the RNLI, Civil Defence Ireland and St John Ambulance Ireland. The parade was one of the largest of its kind ever held in the state, involving over 3,700 military personnel, 78 vehicles and 17 aircraft. The events were broadcast on RTÉ television and it is estimated that around 1 million people viewed the parade across the streets of Dublin. The parade commenced at 10.30am from St. Stephen's Green and made its way along Dublin before stopping at O'Connell Bridge for the main Easter Sunday Commemoration at the GPO. Following the ceremony, the troops marched past the GPO in O'Connell Street before finishing at Bolton Street around 3pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centenary of the Easter Rising</span> Centenary celebrations of 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland

The centenary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland occurred in 2016. Many events were held throughout the country to mark the occasion.

The 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal is a military decoration awarded by the Government of Ireland to personnel of the Irish Defence Forces who served in 2016 to honour the legacy of continued service by the military to the state since its foundation and in recognition for the role they played to commemorate 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising.

References

  1. "1966 and all that: the 50th anniversary commemorations". 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  2. "1916 in 1966: Commemorating the Easter Rising". Royal Irish Academy. 2014. JSTOR   j.ctt14jxtnx.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Mawe, Shane (28 October 2015). "The Golden Jubilee in 1966 – Changed Utterly". Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  4. McDonald, Henry (3 January 2016). "Ireland prepares to mark Easter Rising centenary amid fears old tensions may resurface". The Observer. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020 via www.theguardian.com.
  5. Linehan, Hugh. "Remembering the Rising: how they did it in 1966". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  6. "1966, 50 years from the end of The Easter Rising, newspapers and postcards". www.theeasterrising.eu. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.