| President leads nation in Easter
Rising celebration  THE
President and Taoiseach led low-key celebrations to mark the 91st anniversary
of the Easter Rising in Dublin.
A military parade comprising around 350 members from all sections of the
Defence Forces was centre stage at Sunday’s ceremony outside the
GPO on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, watched by a crowd estimated
to be around 7,000.
However, an Army spokesperson insisted that the turnout had not been a
disappointment, since they knew crowds this year would come nowhere to
matching the 100,000 people who had flocked to last year’s 90th
anniversary celebrations.
Glorious sunshine raised spirits at the ceremony which began with the
arrival of Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea, Lord Mayor of Dublin
Vincent Jackson and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who was greeted with a military
salute.
President Mary McAleese then followed and inspected the 107-strong Presidential
Guard of Honour, drawn from the 62nd and 63rd Reserve Infantry Battalions
and the 62nd Reserve Regiment of the Reserve Defence Forces.
A central Guard of Honour was drawn from the Cadet School of the Military
College. The ceremony began at noon with the lowering of the Tricolour
during which Army chaplain the Right Reverend Monsignor Eoin Thynn led
the Prayer Of Remembrance.
A lone piper played a lament and the Proclamation Of Independence was
read by Captain Therese O’Keeffe of the 1st Southern Brigade on
the GPO steps.
The Taoiseach then invited the President to lay a wreath and there followed
a minute’s silence for all those who died which was respectfully
observed by the crowd and then the Last Post sounded.
The Taoiseach was joined by ministers and dignitaries, including former
Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, the Ceann
Comhairle Rory O’Hanlon and leaders of the larger parties in the
Dáil.
The Taoiseach spoke of his satisfaction at the ongoing success of the
peace process in the North of Ireland but said enormous amounts of work
still needed to be undertaken in the run-up to the May 8 date for power-sharing
and beyond.
He said: “I think they’ll have a busy few years ahead.”
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