Sir, – For service above and beyond the call of duty, as well as endurance, perseverance, tenacity and courage, all singers, musicians, technical staff and audience members at the “A Nation’s Voice” event in Collins Barracks on Easter Sunday should get a 2016 commemorative medal.
Never has a hand-dryer in Heuston Station generated such joy nor a coffee cup radiated such pleasure.
Pray let those who take part in such an event in 3016 have a proper roof over their heads so that towels won’t have to be taken out and the blue of the plastic macs won’t be matching the hue of the participants’ faces. Other than that distraction, it was a wonderful event.
We were in the presence of excellence. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET HAWKINS,
Broadway, Co Wexford.
Sir, – God bless Miriam Lord ("Dignity and hope front and centre on day the nation stood proud and remembered", Front Page, March 28th). Lovely piece. Like so many others, I couldn't be there; Miriam made me feel I was. – Yours, etc,
VAL FARRELL,
Blackpool,
England.
Sir, – If proof were needed of the self-delusory nature of the 1916 rebellion and its aftermath, it is that 100 years after wanting to be free of Britain, Irish politicians are quaking at the prospect of Britain being free of Ireland (Brexit). – Yours, etc,
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Sir, – I have been quite annoyed to hear the 1916 rebels being compared to Isis on a number of occasions on radio and television in the last few days. While many of the rebels did eventually become martyred by firing squad, I don’t think they originally foresaw or intended that as the outcome of their endeavours.
Moreover, they fought to establish a progressive and inclusive society, and they sought to guarantee religious and civil liberties, equal rights and opportunities to all citizens – the polar opposite of what Isis intends for people in any unfortunate territory it may conquer. I reject this comparison entirely and feel it is unjust and actually quite insulting. – Yours, etc,
DIANA COLLINS,
Cashel, Co Tipperary.
A chara, – Congratulations to all those involved in planning, organising and participating in the most successful, inspiring and appropriate parade and speeches in Dublin. Like the many thousands of people present, I was proud to be there and to be Irish. Go raibh maith agaibh! – Is mise,
S O’CUINN,
An Charraig Dhubh,
Co Baile Átha Cliath.
Sir, – A beautiful day, a massive crowd, and a general acceptance that the men who initiated the deaths and destruction in 1916 have now been given official absolution and an honoured place in Irish history. Perhaps our children and grandchildren will be lining O’Connell street in 2070 to soak up the atmosphere of a similar event, commemorating those who killed on our behalf and who acted with a similar mandate. Some have already been rewarded for their “troubles”. – Yours, etc,
NIALL GINTY,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Congratulations and thanks to Dublin Bus for the reliable and continuous service provided over the course of the Easter weekend. Myself and family members used several bus routes in, out and across the city centre on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, taking part in and attending centenary events. Well done to all concerned. The bus service on a very busy weekend was much appreciated. – Yours, etc,
SARAH INGLE,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – I was horrified to read the claim by Michael Nugent, chairman of Atheist Ireland, that the "1916 rising involved an undemocratic group killing innocent people" ('Atheists label Rising rebels 'undemocratic killers', March 28th). Does not Mr Nugent realise how oppressively Christian the Gregorian method of calculating years is? – Yours, etc,
DARAGH DOWNES,
Howth,Co Dublin.
Sir, – I am sure I am not alone in appreciating the head chaplain of the Defences Forces, Fr Séamus Madigan, including those "at home and abroad" in his address to the people of Ireland to commemorate the Easter Rising ("Remembering the 'short lives and big dreams'", March 28th).
As one of those spirited away to England before I was born and adopted out of the country, such sentiment is telling. Failures by state and church are now common knowledge. Both entities could do much more to hasten Fr Madigan’s “new day of compassion, inclusion and engagement”.
I have a further plea – to all the mothers, fathers and families who know about children given up. Please throw off your shame and acknowledge us. Then the country can start to fulfil its declaration to cherish all the children of Ireland equally. – Yours, etc,
DOMINIC FOX,
London.
Sir, – As a proud Dublin resident, I would like to thank all the volunteers involved in the “Reflecting the Rising” events held on Monday across the capital’s city centre. It all made for a great day for all ages. The volunteers gave freely of their time, and it was a pleasure to hear from different Dubliners their various perspectives of the 1916 Rising. – Yours, etc,
AIDEEN LAWLOR,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – As an Irishman based in London (for 50 years), I want to express my admiration and thanks for the manner in which the 1916 commemoration was presented. Dignified and lacking in triumphalism, it was something to be proud of.
It was not an easy balance to strike but it was just right. Well done to all involved. – Yours, etc,
JAMES A KEARNS ,
London.
Sir, – I awoke on Sunday morning early to travel into Dublin city to be part of the commemorations.
As I sat in the kitchen eating my breakfast in the soft glow of new spring light, I thought of those who fought on Easter Monday, and how their day might have started that morning in a similar way. They left home, many for the last time. I left my sleeping wife and children knowing that I would return. The men and women of 1916 had no such certainty. The leaders and signatories, for their most part, knew that they would probably never return to see their families.
This really touched me. How driven these people were to the fight for a free Republic. In all the commentary on the Rising about whether it was right or wrong, what is lost is this deeply personal sacrifice that these men and women gave. I wonder could current generations do the same? – Yours, etc,
PAUL HOGAN,
Stepaside,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – One hundred years on and O’Connell Street was again swarming with soldiers and military paraphernalia, with the GPO still in focus, as the biggest military parade ever staged in this country marched its way through the centre of our capital city, the centrepiece of the State’s centenary programme.
It would be churlish to suggest plus ça change because much has changed and greatly for the betterment of this country and its people.
However, I seriously question the wisdom of Sunday’s military display, a resuscitation of Easter military parades of another time, a worn-out format with questionable validity.
Neither do I accept that in some way it helped reclaim the “real” Óglaigh na hÉireann in the collective mind. If this was the case, then we’ve been badly remiss over past decades.
In the past hundred years, some of the most traumatic incidents inflicted on the citizens of this country have been laced with military bravado, frequently designed to send intimidating and triumphalist messages. I fully acknowledge that Sunday’s parade was critically different in that it was the action of a legitimate state. Nevertheless, military ostentation is a sullied, scarred and redundant medium for commemoration and remembrance and not the most appropriate way to underpin the State’s commemoration of 1916.
The young men and women of the Defence Forces are at their very best and most effective when serving the neglected, the exploited and the terrorised people of troubled lands and seas, serving those people who have not yet had their “1916” and may never have.
In stark contrast. the activities on Easter Monday in O’Connell Street and throughout the city were infinitely more informative, reflective and appropriate for the nation we have become and the nation we should aspire to be in the future.
It is best to leave grandiose military parades to Red Square in May and Tiananmen Square in October. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
(Colonel, retired),
Kilkenny.