President Michael D Higgins honours children killed in 1916

Relations of children killed during the 1916 Rising were joined by President Michael D Higgins for a commemorative ceremony that recalled the "neglected" stories of the rebellion's youngest victims.

Forty children under the age of 16 were killed during the six days of fighting which occurred in April 1916; some of whom were as young as two years-old.

Addressing the crowd at St Patrick's Church in Ringsend which included various Government ministers, broadcaster Gay Byrne and Liveline presenter Joe Duffy, who has spearheaded a commemorative project for the children, the President honoured the casualties.

“Today we’re invited to remember the neglected but not lost stories of those families ruptured and the young lives cut short; some of the forgotten victims of the Easter Rising, the children who lost their lives during the final days of 1916.

“We are as a nation indebted to Joe Duffy, and indeed those who assisted him, for being given the opportunity of reclaiming the memory of the children who were mourned so silently in the days and the months following the Easter Rising,” he said.

Mr Higgins also encouraged members of contemporary Irish society to foster an environment where children of the modern era can feel safe, secure, and realise their potential; an opportunity which he said was denied the fallen children of 1916.

“Children of that time were not afforded a childhood as contemporary society knows it. In our own time, allowing equality of citizenship for our own has been a slow process, and for many children and their families achieving equality of opportunity is an as yet unfinished task.

“The children we celebrate today were denied their potential and possibility. We can perhaps best honour their memory with a rebuilding and renewal of our society and a creation of an ethical foundation on which our Republic can grow and thrive,” he said.

As part of the service, the names of the 40 children killed were carried up to the altar by 6th class pupils from the nearby St Patrick’s National schools, and candles were lit in each of their memories.

“It’s just a very simple idea about renaming and reclaiming, and hopefully in 2016 their names will be up somewhere. If I have to write them on the GPO myself I will,” said Mr Duffy, who hopes to release a book on the topic later this year.

“This is not about blaming, this is about compassion. In most cases we don’t know who shot the children because there was no inquest, we don’t know how they died. This is about remembrance and reclamation, not retribution,” he added.

Also present was Barbara Melbourne, a grand-niece of John McNamara (12) who died during the Easter Rising.

“We know he was shot in the head while peeling an orange at the top of Grafton Street. We don’t know why he was out and about around that time,” said Ms Melbourne, accompanied by other descendants of her deceased grand-uncle.

“He was buried in Mount Jerome cemetery but we don’t know the exact spot. His father could have been the only mourner at that time because there was a curfew, so he was the only one allowed to walk behind the hearse.

“The ceremony was very poignant… it’s lovely to remember him.”