2016 Easter Rising Centenary

On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a group of Irish nationalists proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic and, along with some 1,600 followers, staged a rebellion against the British government in Ireland to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic. Organised by seven members of the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Rising lasted for six days. Members of the Irish Volunteers, led by schoolmaster and Irish language activist Patrick Pearse, joined by the smaller Irish Citizen Army of James Connolly, along with 200 members of Cumann na mBan seized key locations in Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic.

With vastly superior numbers and artillery, the British army quickly suppressed the Rising, and Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29 April. Most of the leaders were executed following courts-martial, but the Rising succeeded in bringing physical force republicanism back to the forefront of Irish politics. Support for republicanism continued to rise in Ireland. In December 1918, republicans (by then represented by the Sinn Féin party) won 73 Irish seats out of 105 in the 1918 General Election to the British Parliament, on a policy of abstentionism and Irish independence.

On 21 January 1919 they convened the First Dáil and declared the independence of the Irish Republic, and later that same day the Irish War of Independence began with the Soloheadbeg ambush.

About our version of the 2016 Easter Rising Centenary logo.

The Irish Government Centenary logo is utilized as well as the tri-color. The Easter Lily is a badge in the shape of a lilyflower, worn at Easter by Irish Republicans as symbol of remembrance for Irish Republican combatants who died during or were executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. The lily is a symbol that St. Louis shares with the commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising. The fleur-de-lis is a recognized symbol of our City and figures prominently on our municipal flag of St. Louis which is 50 years old this year. All together, the flag and the stylized fleur de lis with the Irish Government’s logo have combined for our Parade this year as a distinctive logo representative of the Centenary and St. Louis.

A Year for Everyone

Visit the Official 2016 Easter Rising Centenary Site

Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme

• Historical Reflection

• State Ceremonial

• Cultural Expression

• Global and Diaspora

• Youth and Imagination

• The Living Language

• Community Participation

Events

“1916: The Irish Rebellion,” the landmark documentary produced by Notre Dame and narrated by Liam Neeson, has been picked up by a record number of TV stations across the US. It speaks to the intense interest across the USA in the 1916 Rising.