Rising heroes - silence marks day of national reflection on sacrifices
MORE THAN 100,000 people stood in silent tribute to the dead of the 1916 Easter uprising yesterday as the GPO building was transformed into a national shrine to their sacrifice.
The minute’s silence was the emotional focal point of a ceremony which saw the first military parade down O’Connell Street since the onset of the Troubles.
An army piper played a lament, Wrap the Green Flag, as the tricolour was lowered to half-mast at the GPO at noon.
Captain Tom Ryan, of the Sixth Infantry Battalion, then read the Proclamation of Independence.
As he spoke the words, first uttered in the same location 90 years ago as the rebels seized the building on Easter Monday 1916, the parade stood to attention along O’Connell Bridge and Westmoreland Street.
President Mary McAleese then placed a simple green wreath in front of the GPO to honour those killed in the rebellion which eventually led to Irish independence.
Following the minute’s silence, observed by over 100,000 people lining the route, the President took the salute as 2,500 members of the defence forces and An Garda Siochána marched past the GPO, with a heavy emphasis placed on their peace-keeping roles across the globe.
Waves of applause rippled down O’Connell Street as the defence forces were warmly greeted by the crowds.
The display featured army and UN service veterans as well as armoured personnel carriers, artillery guns, an Aardvark minesweeper, tanks and a fly-past by the air corp.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had earlier laid a wreath at Kilmainham Jail’s Stonebreakers Yard where many of the leaders of the rebellion were executed.
The Taoiseach said the day had been one of national reflection, emphasised by the one-minute silence.
“It’s not easy to get 100,000-plus people to be so quiet.
“It’s very important to remember the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, particularly those who died,” he said.
Mr Ahern said the ceremonies were “about discharging one generation’s debt of honour to another”.
He praised the patriotism and vision of the rebels who, “set in train an unstoppable process which led to this country’s political independence”.
Mr Ahern said the ceremony in Stonebreakers Yard was the most moving moment for him.
“It was a chilling reminder of the events that happened at this time 90 years ago,” he said.
Among those present in Stonebreakers Yard to hear the Taoiseach’s address was Fr Joseph Mallin, son of Michael Mallin, who headed the Irish Citizen Army at the Rising.
He is the only surviving child of any of the 1916 leaders and travelled from Hong Kong for the ceremony.
Mr Ahern insisted the military parade had been a great success, but felt the anniversary should now be remembered in a more “low-key” fashion until the centenary of the rising in 2016.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the military display had struck the right balance, emphasising Ireland’s neutrality and commitment to the UN.
However, he said the aspirations of the Easter Rising had not been fully realised.
“It’s easy to run a flag up a pole, but it’s not so easy to put into practice the values of the Proclamation.
“The leaders of 1916 wished for a more equal and egalitarian society than the one we have today,” he said.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny TD agreed the day had been a success, but stressed the centenary must comprise of a much broader range of events.
Former Fine Gael Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald said the decision to hold a military parade had been correct and reminded him of the events he attended in 1941 and 1966.
Hundreds of specially invited guests, including relatives of those who fought in the Rising and British Ambassador Stewart Eldon, were among those who reviewed the ceremony from a stand at the front of the GPO.
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