DUBLIN, Apr 10 (NNN-XINHUA) – A ceremony to mark the 107th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, an armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland, was held here yesterday.
Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Micheal Martin, attended the event.
The event was held in front of the building of the GPO (General Post Office), a place in downtown Dublin where the fiercest battle of the 1916 Easter Rising took place.
At noon, the Irish national flag, on top of the GPO was lowered and the 1916 Proclamation, a document declaring Ireland’s independence from Britain, was read by an officer from the Irish Defence Forces.
Higgins laid a wreath to commemorate those who died in the 1916 rising, and a minute’s silence was observed.
Relatives of those who took part in the Easter Rising attended the ceremony. Representatives from the Irish army, air force and naval service also took part in the event.
Military brass and pipe bands played at the ceremony, which ended with an air force flyover.
The Easter Rising was launched by Irish republicans during Easter Week in Apr, 1916, with the aim of establishing an independent Irish republic. The six-day rising was eventually cracked down by the British forces.
