Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D., at the opening of the Birth of a Nation Exhibitio

I’m delighted to be here to launch the Birth of a Nation exhibition which describes the tremendous depth and breadth of history here in Louth and highlights some of the key figures and events in the path towards Irish Independence.

· There is no better way to connect with the past than by seeing primary sources at first hand. Thus the hand-written letters in this exhibition, by Thomas Ashe, Padraig Pearse, Thomas Francis Meagher and others are unique and precious records of these great men.

· I commend Brian Walsh and his team for their fine work in curating this exhibition and the many hours of hard work that dozens of men and women have put in to bring this to fruition. Local initiatives are key to commemorating 1916 and I know that communities around Ireland are keen to play their part.

· Since 2012 the Government has been organising commemorative events for this Decade of Centenaries, prioritising the publication and development of primary source material and encouraging discussion and debate through publication, public lectures, exhibitions at National and local museums and sites of historical significance. The Century Ireland digital newspaper, led by Boston College in association with RTÉ, our Universities and Cultural Institutions has been tracing the history of a century ago in real time since 1913.

· We have also marked the centenaries of milestone moments in the Home Rule movement with talks and exhibitions. A series of official events have taken place marking the centenary of the foundation of the Irish Volunteers and Cumann na mBan who are well represented in this exhibition by the fascinating collection of artefacts that belonged to Lily Conlon.

· Never before has there been such open discussion and debate about the history of Ireland during those momentous formative years. Now is the time to take that discussion to the next level, and for every county and town in Ireland to take part in the conversation about what 1916 means to them.

· The Ireland 2016 initiative, which was launched in November, aims to develop, coordinate and deliver a programme to honour and remember those who fought and died in the 1916 Easter Rising.

· It will deliver a rich diversity of programmes and events, complementary and additional to formal State occasions, which will run throughout 2016. Led by my colleague, Heather Humphreys, T.D., Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and it will reflect on the legacy of that period and look towards our future, based around 5 themes:

· Remembering the past;

· Reconciling and respecting all traditions;

· Presenting Ireland to the world;

· Imagining our future; and

· Celebrating our achievements.

· And I, together with my Government colleagues, am committed to ensuring that the commemorations to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will be inclusive, appropriate and respectful.

· Remembering the events and legacy of 1916 is fundamental to the Ireland 2016 Initiative and, to support that, a capital provision of €22 million has been allocated in 2015 to a number of flagship projects.

These include:

– the development of a permanent exhibition space and interpretative centre at the GPO;

– the renovation of Kilmainham Courthouse to enhance the visitor experience at Kilmainham Gaol;

– the provision of a permanent visitor facility at Cathal Brugha Barracks for the Military Service Pensions Archive;

– the development of visitor facilities at Teach an Phiarsaigh, Ros Muc;
– renovation works at Richmond Barracks;

– the development of a Tenement Museum in Dublin;

– And the restoration of the Kevin Barry rooms in the National Concert Hall.
· In addition, an allocation of €4 million has been made in current funding to support the development of an integrated national plan focused on the commemoration of this very significant anniversary.

· Minister Humphreys and the 2016 Project Team are engaging with the National Cultural Institutions, the Arts Council, Culture Ireland and the Heritage Council to ensure that a comprehensive and diverse cultural programme is developed including an Irish language programme.

· A widespread public consultation process is now underway, the aim of which is to encourage and facilitate the involvement of ground-up initiatives in the wider commemorative programme. The intention is to invite, inspire and encourage local community organisations; schools and the various groups engaging with our young people; the Diaspora and Irish community organisations abroad; and individual citizens of all ages to propose their ideas for commemorating 1916.

· The strength of local community involvement and the unique perspectives and creative ideas of the participating groups and citizens will ensure that the significant events of 1916 will be brought to life and made interesting and relevant for people of all ages at home and abroad.

· In this regard, you will be glad to know that Louth County Council has appointed Ms Bernie Fennell as their dedicated Ireland 2016 coordinator and I’m sure she will be anxious to receive your ideas and proposals.

· There are countless men and women from Louth who are worthy of commemoration during this Decade of Centenaries – Sir Henry Bellingham lost his son Roger in Belgium almost exactly 100 years ago, on the 4th of March 1915. Records also show that a Dundalk man, John Toale, a fireman, lost his life on the Lusitania in May 1915. That tragedy will be the subject of a series of events in May of this year. Many Irishmen also died over the course of 1915 in Gallipoli, and we will remember them with a number of events: currently the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks is hosting an exhibition as well as a daily dramatic production that lays bare the realities of the time.

· Donal Hall, a respected Dundalk historian, in his book ‘The Unreturned Army’ has detailed more than two thousand Louth men who lost their lives during the totality of World War One, including tragic cases like William Doyle and his son James, from Broughton Street Dundalk who both died together on the SS Eveleen in 1918.

· I ask you all here today to join in that national conversation – via Ireland.ie or DecadeofCentenaries.com, by speaking to your local authority, librarians and arts and heritage officers; or through the many community organisations who are our partners in commemoration – Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, our schools and third level institutions, the GAA and other sporting bodies and local history and heritage societies.

· The Rising, the Proclamation and the Ireland that flows from those landmarks belongs to all of us equally and I look forward to working with all of these groups to deliver a centenary programme that does justice to the legacy.