Community funding for 1916 commemoration events in Mayo
THE Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, has welcomed a new €3 million funding package that will support community participation in 1916 commemoration events in Mayo.
He stated: “This €3 million funding package will support the extensive programme of local events planned for 2016 to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
“Over 2,000 events and initiatives have already been confirmed for next year as part of the local authority-led county plans for Ireland 2016, many here in Mayo.
“Mayo is the birth place of two key figures who took part in the Rising - Major John MacBride of Westport, who was second in command in the Jacob’s Garrison and who was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising, and Dr. Kathleen Lynn of Mullafarry, the chief medical officer in the Irish Citizen Army, who was stationed at the City Hall Garrison during the fighting.
“Mayo County Council holds the largest collection of artefacts relating to the Rising outside Dublin at the Jackie Clarke Collection in Ballina. For 2016 there will be a designated 1916 tour of the building with items never seen previously. As a result of the collection’s national significance in relation to the 1916 Easter Rising, a special artist in residence programme will be run in 2016. The aim of the residency is to enable the artist time to develop new work and dedicate time to research and develop new ideas in response to the events of the 1916 Easter Rising by working with the Jackie Clarke Collection.”
Minister Ring, a native of Westport, added that many more events are to take place across Mayo next year and additional information is available on www.ireland.ie/events/download-your-full-county-plan.
Going back to the allocation of funding, he said: “This national funding package will enable local communities around Ireland to deliver on their ambitious programmes and will also help to ensure the maximum level of participation and engagement, across all sectors of the community, in this once-in-a-century moment in Ireland’s history.
“After the economic progress of recent years we can look forward to the 2016 centenary with confidence. We cannot go back and it’s vital to keep the recovery going in 2016 and beyond.”