THE MINISTER FOR Heritage Jimmy Deenihan said he would like to see as many of the descendants and relatives of 1916 personnel as possible attend and participate in the 1916 commemorative events.

The Minister has expressed his confidence that the arrangements for the Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016 will reflect its historic importance and transformative effect on Irish society.

In particular, the Minister intended that the ‘principled commitment and selfless determination of the revolutionary leaders and personnel’ would be acknowledged.

He said that throughout the development of the Centenary programme he has been impressed with the “interest and commitment of the family members and their wish to be closely involved in the upcoming commemorations”.

I believe that our acknowledgement of the service, sacrifice and achievement of the truly remarkable men and women involved in the Easter Rising, should include a special consideration and their descendants and relatives should be involved.

The Minister also asked for relatives who are interested in being represented in the Centenary arrangements to contact the Department.

I would be grateful to receive all such expressions of interest in relation to the commemorations in 2016 from families along with information on their familial connection to the Rising.

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