Sir, – As a former ceremonial staff officer in the Defence Forces, to say I was impressed with the work of my friends and former colleagues at the 1916 events would be a total understatement. Aside from the pristine uniforms, the marching, the fly-pasts and the wreath-laying, what impressed most were the planning and attention to detail required to ensure this event was something all citizens could be proud of. Our collective thanks must be given to those men and women behind the scenes that orchestrated this truly historic event.
While the reaction of the crowds and the comments on various media evidence our collective gratitude for their labours, I hope that those in a position to do so can truly recognise their performances.
For my part, I am so proud of what they have done and how positively they have presented the Defence Forces and Ireland. – Yours, etc,
COLM KELLEHER,
(Capt, retired),
Kilcolgan,
Co Galway.
Sir, – Once again the professionalism of the men and women of the Defence Forces served the nation well as they carried out the various 1916 Easter Rising celebrations with precision and distinction, and which, in turn, has brought a sense of pride and recognition of the sacrifices of the 1916 heroes to us all.
Sadly, however, in more recent years, the notions of sacrifice and serving the nation have been severely diluted by a plethora of mostly self-serving political and other scandals. Wouldn’t it be nice if our politicians in this commemorative year would now get off their artificially contrived high horses and act on behalf of the citizens who recently elected them to actually govern the country? – Yours, etc,
FRANK RUSSELL,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – Trust Stephen Collins to put the 1916 Rising in its proper historical context ("Our independence sprang from more than violence alone", Opinion & Analysis, March 26th). His article should be taken to heart in those emotional days by all right-minded Irish people. It is so easy to forget how much our modern democratic nation, that we have come to know, owes to those leaders (O'Connell, Parnell and Redmond) who devoted their efforts to winning independence by peaceful, constitutional means. Your esteemed political correspondent could have gone further afield for other examples – Gandhi in India, Nkrumah in Ghana, Nyere in Tanzania. – Yours, etc,
JOHN F FALLON,
Boyle, Co Roscommon.
Sir, – I have just returned from the wonderful 1916 celebrations in Dublin. Last week I was feeling just a little upset about not receiving my invitation to sit at the GPO but as the French say, "C'est la guerre!"
Along with thousands of others I took the bus and, despite the loss of the Luas service, public transport acquitted itself well with lots of cheery staff on hand to explain matters to customers from all lands.
As for the parade itself, I was heartened by a number of things: the sunny, cool weather, the throngs of young people about the city centre and the military precision with which the parade was organised.
Of even greater delight to me personally was the realisation that we have, after all these years, done something about which I have been preaching for years; I refer to my former colleagues in the Air Corps who, at long last, painted the skies above our capital in the national colours of green, white and orange.
Long may this continue. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN BYRNE,
Lieut Col (retired),
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – I enjoyed reading "A Proclamation for Our Age" (Editorial, March 26th). But I then realised that nowhere did you mention climate change, which must be one of the greatest threats we have to consider and address. Please explain. – Yours, etc,
EVELYN O’NEILL,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Your coverage of the 1916 commemorations has been uniformly excellent, with vivid reporting and opinion articles that reflect a variety of views. I would single out Miriam Lord and Kathy Sheridan for particular praise for their coverage of Sunday’s events. My compliments too on the revival of the old “Gothic” masthead on your online edition. A nice touch, and one that you should consider keeping. – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA O’RIORDAN,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – I notice that The Irish Times Saturday edition cost me an extra 20 cent at my local newsagent. An Easter rising indeed! – Yours, etc,
NORMAN LOWTHER,
Raheny, Dublin 5.
Sir, – This week, a century ago, a Frenchman and chef who had emigrated to Ireland in 1897 would have stood on the rubble across from the GPO, staring at the spot where his “Restaurant Continental” used to be. The Frenchman, my great-grandfather Camille Fauvin, was left devastated. Lots of ordinary people pay dearly in times of war. Rest in peace. – Yours, etc,
LOUISE KIRWAN,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Truly St Patrick “looked down in his love” as he delivered a wonderful sunny day, against all forecasts, to mark the Easter Rising commemoration in Dublin. A wonderful spectacle that made us all proud to be Irish. – Yours, etc,
JUSTIN KILCULLEN,
Shankill, Dublin 18.
Sir, – Having seen O’Connell Street in all its glory during the 1916 parade, would it not be an appropriate time to reclaim our principal street by taking a zero-tolerance stance against anti-social behaviour and petty crime from this day forward? – Yours, etc,
DONAL SEERY,
Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.