Baroness Paisley praises Dublin's Easter Rising commemorations

The late Ian Paisley's widow has said that the Republic's Easter Rising commemorations were 'done very well'.
Baroness Paisley said the Irish government was entitled to remember the 1916 RisingBaroness Paisley said the Irish government was entitled to remember the 1916 Rising
Baroness Paisley said the Irish government was entitled to remember the 1916 Rising

Baroness Paisley said that she had followed media coverage of the Irish government’s programme of commemorations, the climax of which was a massive parade through Dublin on Saturday and the reading of the Proclamation outside the GPO.

She told the News Letter: “I did follow it and I thought it was done very well.

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“That whole thing is part of their history – 100 years is a red letter day in the history of any country.”

However, speaking of the Rising itself, she added: “It was a dreadful war and a terrible cruelty. It did cause a lot of damage as far as that goes. But they are entitled to remember it.”

As reported by the News Letter on Wednesday, the Irish government is holding an event which will commemorate British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising – and the British Army could attend the ceremony.

The event is one of several attempts by Dublin to ensure that all those who died during the Rising are remembered during the centenary commemorations.

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Meanwhile, the Irish government is also organising an artistic event to be held on the 18th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, as part of its Easter Rising commemorative programme.

The ‘Rising to Reconciliation: A Journey in Words and Music’ in Dublin’s Abbey Theatre on April 10, in conjunction with Poetry Ireland, will include readings from the works of the Ulster poets Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley and John Hewitt.