THE IRISH Government has officially launched a funding programme for 1916 Rising centenary events in Britain.
Funding of between £500 and £2,000 will be available to groups across Britain who wish to commemorate and celebrate the centenary of the Easter Rising in 1916.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan is in Britain on a three-day visit and launched the programme in London.
“The major projects in Britain will be among the flagship events in our ambitious international programme and I know the community groups here will bring imagination and passion to the important grassroots aspect of our celebrations,” Minister Flanagan said.
The Irish at home and abroad are gearing up for major commemorative events next April to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising – the event that is credited as the beginning of Irish independence from Britain.
As part of the Ireland 2016 project, Irish communities across Britain will be able to apply for the funding to hold their own commemorative events.
“I would like to take this opportunity to invite our citizens, Diaspora and Ireland’s many international friends to join with us in marking key moments in our history and achievements of Ireland over the last hundred years,” Minister Flanagan added.
Groups across Britain are now invited to submit proposals for projects before October 1 by downloading an application from embassyofireland.ie and emailing the completed form to [email protected].