Loyalists communities from Belfast invited to take active part in 1916 Rising events

Loyalist communities across Belfast will be invited to engage in a range of events to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising, republican organisers have pledged.

All dimensions and perspectives on the insurrection against British Rule in 1916 in Dublin must be reflected in the anniversary programme, chairman of the organising committee Tom Hartley said.

The former Sinn Féin mayor acknowledged some unionists may not want to commemorate an event that effectively paved the way for Irish independence, but he said others appreciated the Rising’s significance in what was such an important historical period for everyone on the island.