State Commemoration

Saturday 1st August. President Michael D. Higgins led the official State commemoration of the centenary of the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.

The event, hosted by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, is the first formal State commemoration being held as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny T.D. who also attended, said, “Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was an iconic figure in Irish history. Even one hundred years after his death his name is synonymous with the Fenians and with Irish Nationalism. The liberation of his country became his life’s ambition. His funeral remains one of the pivotal moments in Irish history and was an occasion that would be hugely instrumental in shaping the future of our nation.”