PRESIDENT MARY McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday led an official State ceremony to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising outside the GPO on Dublin's O'Connell Street.
Gardaí estimated that some 2,000 spectators attended the event, which took place in front of a largely silent crowd on a dry but cold morning. The attendance was significantly down on the 7,000 people who watched last year's commemoration.
Yesterday's solemn ceremony, which lasted just under an hour, was led by Mrs McAleese and Mr Ahern, as well as the Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Paddy Bourke.
Also in attendance were Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness - the most senior Sinn Féin politician to be present for the event - several junior Government ministers, and representatives of the Opposition parties.
Almost two years ago, the 90th anniversary Easter Rising military parade through Dublin attracted over 100,000 spectators. Some 2,500 members of the Defence Forces and veterans of peacekeeping missions marched through Dublin at that time.
Yesterday's ceremony, by comparison, involved a "static" march and some 300 troops based in Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny and the Air Corps in Baldonnel. But the event nevertheless required much of O'Connell street to be cordoned off. The ceremony was broadcast on big screens erected at the GPO.
First to arrive was Mr O'Dea at approximately 11.40am. He was followed shortly afterwards by Mr Bourke, Mr Ahern and then Mrs McAleese who was accompanied by a Defence Forces motorcycle escort. She was welcomed by Lieut Gen Dermot Earley, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
Mrs McAleese then inspected the presidential guard of honour, before rejoining Mr Ahern in front of the GPO. At noon, the official ceremony began with the lowering of the national flag to "half mast."
Those present then heard a prayer of remembrance read by Army head Chaplain Msgr Eoin Thynne, in which he expressed the hope that we would continue to "know and value" what we had received from those who had gone before us.
Standing in front of the historic GPO facade, and bearing a parchment scroll in front of him, Capt Ross Dunphy read out the Proclamation, as relatives of those who took part in the Rising, as well as army veterans and others, listened. There was light applause and some whistles.
A lament was then played by piper Pte Anthony Kelly, after which Mrs McAleese laid a wreath. Those present observed a minute's silence for all those who died in the Rising, before the Last Post was sounded as the flag was raised once more to full mast.
The ceremony concluded with the playing of the national anthem and a fly-past by four Air Corps PC-9 planes. Yesterday's smaller event was attended by Ministers Dick Roche, Conor Lenihan and Trevor Sargent. Fine Gael was represented by Fergus O'Dowd, while Labour was represented by Joe Costello.