Remembering 1916 - A good start

YESTERDAY’S events marking the 1916 Rising in Dublin’s O’Connell St was a good opening to the litany of public events planned to mark the centenary of the rebellion.

It was more carnival than dusty historical commemoration and seemed to recognise all of the relevant sensibilities. It was, in the very best meaning of the term, politically correct.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event and basked in early summer sunshine as if the organisers’ efforts had been blessed from on high.

The debate around how the centenary might be marked shows the 1916 Rising means many different things to many different people.

Some people want to mark it with dignity, some want to celebrate, and others will look the other way while the tradition of violent republicanism is once again celebrated.

It seems impossible too to mark such an seminal event without asking how the opportunity if provided has been used.

Nevertheless, yesterday’s events set a tone that, if it is sustained, will show our nation, and our history, at their best.