Historic celebrations need to be inclusive

THE past is rising up to meet us, and already the brickbats are flying as commemorations galore are just around the corner.

Over the coming decade there will be much to remember, and plenty we might be better off forgetting. Next year is the centenary of the great Lock-Out, where the masses made a stand for their rights against the big bosses of Dublin. It recalls a time when trade unions were entirely on the side of the angels, advocating for the multitudes, against the moral bankruptcy of the greedy few.

The following year, the Great War commenced. A slaughter of millions ensued, providing a forlorn hope that such depravity would never be repeated. From an Irish point of view, the war attracted thousands who were urged by John Redmond to fight for the rights of small nations, with the hope that at the end of it all, the contribution would be acknowledged with Home Rule.