Easter Lily & Rising Commemorations

[thejuice]

With Easter rolling around once again, (as it tends to do this time of year ) we look back 96 years to the Rising. In my time growing up (and still a bit to do, she says) we hardly did anything to commemorate it. St. Patricks day was and still is a far bigger event. Easter celebrations tend to be more sober events with little more than wreath layer, miltary marching and the very occasional wearing of a lily.

With not long to go before we have its 100 year aniversary I'd like to know what peoples attitudes are to Easter Lily's and rising commemorations. Is it still seen as belonging to one party or politcal persuasion.

Would you wear a lily and if not what do you think when you see people wearing one?

How would you like 1916 to be commemorated on its 100 year anniversary?


Could it be changed to celebrate in such a way as a day when we (particularly those in power) re-read the declaration of the Republic, revisit Constitution and make a vow to uphold its principals and renew our commitment to our country and to each other? A day for civic and national pride as opposed to the drunken abandonment of St Paddy's day.

Perhaps we award those, from the ordinary people to those in power, who act upon these principals, who give much to their community or serve their countries best interests. Those who represent whats best about us. I think it could become much more meaningful and benficial to the nation than it currently is and better than what St. Patricks day has come to be.

[Nally Stand]

Hardly a surprise, but I wear the lily and go to the Rising Commemoration at the Tyrone Garden of Remembrance each year.






The parade has been livened up the last few years with re-enactments of the rising in the street before the main parade etc.

Ideally these events should be non-party political but there are parades and graveside commemorations across Tyrone each Easter organised by various groups, but the nature of it is that SF's events just tend to be the best supported. This year again, they have organised a main parade in Carrickmore, twenty graveside commemorations across the county, and eight further wreath laying ceremonies.

The crowds for such events in counties like Tyrone (considering recent past) naturally tend to be fairly large; what would the level of support/interest be in counties further south (apart from in Dublin itself)?

[glens abu]

I also wear my Easter lily each year as do all my family.Went to my 1st Easter commemoration with my late father in 1966 and have attended one every year since 1970 and will continue to do so for as long as I am able.

[thejuice]

Would you like to see it evolve (if at all), to something else as opposed to praying over the dead and military salutes.

Could it become something about civic and national pride, the spirit of Ireland and an Irish ideal as opposed to a rememberer of blood sacrifice (which ought not to be forgotten at the same time).

[Nally Stand]

Would you like to see it evolve (if at all), to something else as opposed to praying over the dead and military salutes.

Could it become something about civic and national pride, the spirit of Ireland and an Irish ideal as opposed to a rememberer of blood sacrifice (which ought not to be forgotten at the same time).

It depends what you mean by 'national pride' and 'spirit of Ireland' though. As you say yourself, blood sacrifice shouldn't be forgotten and to my mind, commemorating such sacrifice already does encapsulate national pride and spirit in a unique way.

What I'm getting at is that days like St Patrick's Day offer an opportunity for the general national pride that you speak of to be nourished, but Easter is an opportunity for openly acknowledging the patriot dead and I wouldn't fancy seeing commemorations of them being sidelined in any way. To do so would be to airbrush the past, take the present for granted, and subtly ignore the fact that the ideals the men of '16 fought for have yet to be fully achieved. When those are achieved, maybe things might change.

[DuffleKing]

There's no way this can be turned into a truely natrional celebration until something is done to reverse sinn fein's hijacking of the occasion. As it stands, the ordinary man looks on as events and cermonires which he has no part of or understanding of are run off in someone else's name.

[glens abu]

There's no way this can be turned into a truely natrional celebration until something is done to reverse sinn fein's hijacking of the occasion. As it stands, the ordinary man looks on as events and cermonires which he has no part of or understanding of are run off in someone else's name.

more nonsence,the National graves ass organize the event I take part in and most Sinn Fein members take part in every year,there are also events organized by the Sticks IRSP,RSF,32 sov,Irish Gov and I am sure many more so its only Sinn Fein highjacking,wise up.If you dont understand what the events are about ask the question.

[Nally Stand]

There's no way this can be turned into a truely natrional celebration until something is done to reverse sinn fein's hijacking of the occasion. As it stands, the ordinary man looks on as events and cermonires which he has no part of or understanding of are run off in someone else's name.

As I said above, no commemoration event should be party political but I don't for a second buy into this "SF hijacking it" nonsense. If you would rather not attend a SF event, then go to a different one. There are no shortage of them. Just because most people choose to attend the SF or National Graves events doesn't mean it has been "hijacked". Even aside from events, if another party chooses to go out and sell easter lilies, fair play to them; but if they don't that isn't SF's fault.

[glens abu]

Ah sure Sinn Fein highjacked the Irish language as well,when did Bernard Dunne join the party?

[thejuice]

It depends what you mean by 'national pride' and 'spirit of Ireland' though. As you say yourself, blood sacrifice shouldn't be forgotten and to my mind, commemorating such sacrifice already does encapsulate national pride and spirit in a unique way.

What I'm getting at is that days like St Patrick's Day offer an opportunity for the general national pride that you speak of to be nourished, but Easter is an opportunity for openly acknowledging the patriot dead and I wouldn't fancy seeing commemorations of them being sidelined in any way. To do so would be to airbrush the past, take the present for granted, and subtly ignore the fact that the ideals the men of '16 fought for have yet to be fully achieved. When those are achieved, maybe things might change.

What I'm getting at when I say Civic and National pride I mean our commitment to what it means to be a Republic and a Nation, what that is supposed to stand for. Whereas St. Patricks Day is now irredeemably a Mardi-Gras style festival of "Irishness".

Easter can come to stand for our commitment to our country, each other as citizens, a day for the country to stand together (to borrow a phrase from the Americans) to pledge allegiance. To make a commitment to uphold our values, the laws and our best interests. It can also be a day in the spirit of the Rising honour those who today give much themselves to better this country. Especially important in these hard times where the easy option is to abandon ship.

[theticklemister]

To tell you the truth a lot of people don't give a damn about these commerations and in truth a lot feel embarrased by the whole thing.

[thejuice]

To tell you the truth a lot of people don't give a damn about these commerations and in truth a lot feel embarrased by the whole thing.

Which something I suspected, it is why I started this thread and ask what can be done to make it something more meaningful to people.

[theticklemister]

To tell you the truth a lot of people don't give a damn about these commerations and in truth a lot feel embarrased by the whole thing.

Which something I suspected, it is why I started this thread and ask what can be done to make it something more meaningful to people.

Nothing can be done to change our country's history; it is what it is. Changing people's beliefs to the men of 1916 is a difficult task. In the 1960s there were only handful of men who attended a Republican Rally at the graveyard in remebrance of the men of 1916. As the struggle progressed through the 70s and 80s more people turned up not just to remember 1916 but also volunteers from the present time.

I have nothing but pride and admiration for the soldiers of 1916 and will be attending a rally in Derry City over the coming weekend.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Have to say I would not wear the Easter Lilly for Irish wardead, for similar reasons to not wearing a Poppy for Irish wardead. I would feel by wearing an Easter Lilly that people would think I am a Provo sympathiser or a militant Republican. If I wore the Poppy I would be worried people would think I was a British Imperalist or a British Armed Forces sympathiser.

I could very well be wrong on my stance to either one or both, but when I see either on a person, my respect for them drops to the floor.

[Nally Stand]

It depends what you mean by 'national pride' and 'spirit of Ireland' though. As you say yourself, blood sacrifice shouldn't be forgotten and to my mind, commemorating such sacrifice already does encapsulate national pride and spirit in a unique way.

What I'm getting at is that days like St Patrick's Day offer an opportunity for the general national pride that you speak of to be nourished, but Easter is an opportunity for openly acknowledging the patriot dead and I wouldn't fancy seeing commemorations of them being sidelined in any way. To do so would be to airbrush the past, take the present for granted, and subtly ignore the fact that the ideals the men of '16 fought for have yet to be fully achieved. When those are achieved, maybe things might change.

What I'm getting at when I say Civic and National pride I mean our commitment to what it means to be a Republic and a Nation, what that is supposed to stand for. Whereas St. Patricks Day is now irredeemably a Mardi-Gras style festival of "Irishness".

Easter can come to stand for our commitment to our country, each other as citizens, a day for the country to stand together (to borrow a phrase from the Americans) to pledge allegiance. To make a commitment to uphold our values, the laws and our best interests. It can also be a day in the spirit of the Rising honour those who today give much themselves to better this country. Especially important in these hard times where the easy option is to abandon ship.

It's a great thought and would be a nice way to see it go then. When you say though that it should be a way of reflecting on "what it means to be a Republic and a Nation", the fact is though that thanks to recent history, the counties where Easter commemorations are (I suspect) best attended, are not yet part of this Republic. I'm not trying to make it a north/south point or a party political broadcast here, my point is that until the aims of the men of 1916 are fully realised, by way of an independent and non-divided country, then turning the yearly marking of the Rising into something just used to reaffirm our commitment to the Republic is premature. In the six counties, it is more used as a day to reaffirm commitment to actually getting a Republic.