"WA Remembers Easter 1916" Launch Night: March 23rd // Perth Symphony Orchestra
WA's Irish community has prepared a comprehensive program of events to commemorate the centenary of one of the most significant events in Ireland’s journey to independence - the Easter Rising of 1916.
As dawn rose over Australia on 25 April 1916, the first Anzac Day, Irish rebels attacked the GPO in Dublin to fight for an Irish Republic. Many of the Irish soldiers enlisted in WWI to fight for the rights of the smaller countries, an estimated 200,000 in total, were among the first tofight and die at Gallipoli. The irony was that many of the diggers who were on leave in Dublin that year, were also sent to quell the Risising.
As President Michael D. Higgins said of the Irish rebels in his 2016 St Patrick’s Day message:
"We can now acknowledge the diverse identities, backgrounds and experiences of those who participated in it, as well as the varied ideologies and beliefs that motivated them. We also recognise that, whatever their differing priorities, all of these men and women were at one in their commitment to rejecting Empire."
Video: Áras an Uachtaráin, Youtube
"WA Remembers Easter 1916", the banner under which these events will fall, will be launched by the Honorary Consul of Ireland, Marty Kavanagh, on March 23rd at the Perth Symphony Orchestra's special commemoration event at the Perth GPO.
"The range of events that have been created by various groups within the Irish community are designed to showcase how a modern, progressive country was born out of the ashes of that uprising," said Mr. Kavanagh.
"While militarily speaking it was a defeat, the uprising is generally accepted as a seminal moment in
the development of the modern Ireland that we see today."
The complete list of events is now available at: WA Remembers Easter 1916
Poster: Designed by Sarah Hession
The program includes:
On April 8, IWAF presents a screening of "1916 Irish Rebellion" a documentary on the events of 1916 narrated by Irish actor Liam Neeson.
The Irish Theatre Players' contribution to the calendar is the play "The Plough and the Stars" by Sean O'Casey, staged at the Irish Club of Western Australia between March 30 and April 16.
Abandon Theatre Players present “The Patriot Game” by Tom Murphy at Studio Underground at the
State Theatre, Northbridge.
“A Sense of Ireland” – an evening of Irish music dance film and drama will take place at UWA’s Octagon Theatre on 30 April. More details to follow!
The Perth Symphony Orchestra will perform a program of Irish and classical music at the Perth GPO
with doors opening at 6pm and the concert beginning at 6.30. Tickets from trybooking.com
"Ireland is now a modern forward-looking country and this series of events is designed to show to the wider community of WA how those events of Easter 1916 made us who we are today", said Mr. Kavanagh.
Mr. Marty Kavanagh, Honorary Consul of Ireland
Email: marty@consulateofirelandwa.com.au