Sinn Féin accused of undermining Rising programme

Éamon Ó Cuív has accused Sinn Féin of attempting to run a parallel programme to the State programme of commemorations for Easter Rising 2016.

Sinn Féin is organising its own re-enactment of the Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa funeral that will follow the State one at Glasnevin Cemetery today.

The State commemoration will feature a full colour display by the Defence Forces.

President Michael D Higgins will lay a wreath on the grave of O'Donovan Rossa, and it will be followed by a re-enactment of the famous graveside oration by Pádraig Pearse. It will begin at 10.40am.

Sinn Féin is organising a separate commemoration from 1pm with a re-enactment of the funeral cortege from City Hall to Glasnevin Cemetery.

It will include an oration by Gerry Adams and a re-enactment of Pearse's speech.

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Mr Ó Cuív, who is Eamon De Valera’s grandson, said the

Fianna Fáil

party was organising commemoration events but they were not running parallel or as alternatives to the State programme.

“We are giving our support and we are encouraging our members to attend the services at Glasnevin. It would have been inappropriate for Fianna Fáil to have organised something that would diminish what is happening in Glasnevin.”

He suggested the Sinn Féin commemorations were out of sync with the spirit of the original funeral, which involved all strands of nationalist Ireland.

Both the National Volunteers, who answered John Redmond’s call to support the British war effort, and the Irish Volunteers, who opposed it, participated in the funeral.

The recently launched Ireland 2016 programme was a “dramatic improvement” following a rocky start last November, he said, adding that Fianna Fáil intends to play a full part in the 40 State events scheduled over the next year.

Mr Ó Cuív said today’s commemoration will be a State rather than a Government one and that the President will represent the people of Ireland.

Among the guests will be Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys and Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh, a Sinn Féin councillor.