Foster: I will be at 1916 event

Arlene Foster yesterday confirmed that she will be at the gathering in Dublin on Wednesday, which is organised by the Church of Ireland (CoI), and will involve academics speaking as part of a panel discussion about the historic event.

Although she has stressed she would not attend any 1916 commemoration, the CoI had described the event in this way in its press release.

A spokesman later said this had been a mistake.

On Tuesday Mrs Foster said that she would be willing to go to “a symposium, or lecture, or a reflective piece in relation to 1916 – and that’s exactly what I’m doing”.

She said she had been booked in to go to the event for about a month.

“Yes, I am going, it’s an event organised by the CoI, it’s a reflective event, and one that I’m looking forward to,” she added.

In January, taoiseach Enda Kenny had voiced disappointment at the First Minister’s decision not to attend events marking the centenary of the rising.

Mr Kenny said: “These (commemorations) have been put together in a very sensitive, comprehensive, inclusive way – both north and south.”