The Irish community in Luxembourg are commemorating the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising with three specific events later this month.
Background: The Easter Rising was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in World War I. Organised by seven members of the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Rising began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, and lasted for six days. Members of the Irish Volunteers — led by schoolmaster and Irish language activist Patrick Pearse, joined by the smaller Irish Citizen Army of James Connolly and 200 women of Cumann na mBan — seized key locations in Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic. The British Army brought in thousands of reinforcements as well as artillery and a gunboat. There was fierce street fighting on the routes into the city centre, where the rebels put up stiff resistance, slowing the British advance and inflicting heavy casualties. Elsewhere in Dublin, the fighting mainly consisted of sniping and long-range gun battles. The main rebel positions were gradually surrounded and bombarded with artillery. With much greater numbers and heavier weapons, the British Army suppressed the Rising, and Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29 April. After the surrender the country remained under martial law. About 3,500 people were taken prisoner by the British, many of whom had played no part in the Rising, and 1,800 of them were sent to internment camps or prisons in Britain. Most of the leaders of the Rising were executed following courts-martial. Almost 500 people were killed in the Easter Rising.
The events being organised in Luxembourg for the Commemorationof the 1916 Easter Rising are as follows:
- Saturday 16 April from 09:00-18:00: Hurling & Camogie Tournament (venue: Stade Jos Becker in Rameldange, home of the Hostert U.S Football Club)
Luxembourg's Gaelic Sports Club (GSCL) will host the first round of the European Hurling and Camogie Championship on Saturday the 16 April 2016 in Hostert. The hurling (men's) tournament will be played on the all-weather pitch (viewable from a stand) and the camogie (ladies') tournament will be played on a grass pitch.
Competing in the hurling will be eight (men’s) teams - from Amsterdam, Belgium (2 teams), Berlin, Darmstatt, Den Haag, Dresden and Luxembourg; and the camogie will see four (ladies’) teams - from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In all there will be some 100 competitors on the day.
Free entry for spectators; no reservations needed.
- Wednesday 20 April at 19:30: Lecture by Dr Fearghal McGarry @ EU School, Kirchberg (preceded by music & Irish dancing by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí)
Dr McGarry will deliver a lecture on the topic "Easter 1916; History, Memory and Myth".
The lecture will be followed by a reception.
Free entry; prior registration obligatory by email: 1916lecturelux@gmail.com
- Sunday 24 April at 17:00: Screening of the documentary film "1916 The Irish Rebellion", narrated by Liam Neeson @ Cinémathèque (17 Place du Theatre, Luxembourg-ville)
Narrated by Liam Neeson, this landmark documentary tells the dramatic story of the events that took place in Dublin during Easter Week 1916, when a small group of Irish rebels took on the might of the British Empire.
The documentary - featuring a combination of rarely seen archival footage, new segments filmed on location worldwide, and interviews with leading international experts - also uncovers the untold story of the central role Irish Americans played in the lead-up to the rebellion. Although defeated militarily, the men and women of the Easter Rising would wring a moral victory from the jaws of defeat and inspire countless freedom struggles throughout the world - from Ireland to India.
Tickets cost €3.70 and are available from www.luxembourg-ticket.lu
The events are being held under the patronage of the Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, Peadar Carpenter, and are supported by The Kerry Group, Luxair and Hotel le Royal.
