THE Irish Government has pledged cash and support to Irish groups in Britain wanting to commemorate the 1916 centenary here next year.
Speaking exclusively to The Irish Post, Arts and Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys also called on the community to help share Ireland’s history.
“There’s an intertwining of histories here,” the Minister said. “What happened in Ireland affected Britain, what happened in Britain affected Ireland. And it’s important that we tell our story because it’s in telling our story that people will get a greater understanding and appreciation of what happened.”
The Irish Embassy in London has also backed the drive to help fund community groups wishing to mark the centenary in Britain, while the Irish in Britain organisation has called on major cultural venues here to play their part and host Irish-themed programmes next year.
Up until February 23, groups across the country had been applying to a Culture Ireland fund for organisations wishing to commemorate 1916 in ‘key territories’ around the world including Britain.
The Tyneside Irish Cultural Society (TICS) has applied for a grant of over £40,000 to co-produce a new historical drama about the city’s links to the Easter Rising which will run as part of next year’s Tyneside Irish Festival.
TICS Director Tony Corcoran said: “We are working with Northern Stage in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to hold a drama about the men and women recruited from the area for the 1916 Rising. We have applied for costings of £41,600 and hope to hold the drama in October 2016 but if we don’t get funding from Culture Ireland, we will find it somehow and proceed with our plans.”
The Irish Government launched its Ireland 2016 initiative last November although it is not yet known how much funding will be available to Diaspora groups in Britain for 1916 projects.
“We give support through Culture Ireland and there is some funding available,” Minister Humphreys said. “They work in conjunction with the embassies, so there’ll be something for that, but in terms of what the specifics are, it’s not worked out yet.”
Irish in Britain, the umbrella group for Irish organisations in Britain, reiterated the need for funding for what it described as ‘an important event in our history’.
CEO Jennie McShannon said: “The plans to celebrate 1916 can be as ambitious as we can make them in terms of creativity and resources.
“It has the potential to increase understanding about the complexity of those events in 1916 to those of Irish descent, as well as those who older people whose parents and grandparents might have been involved in some way and for whom it was the source of significant stories in their childhood.”
Irish in Britain also called on Britain’s big national venues to showcase Irish works as part of next year’s commemorations.
This has already proven successful with 2014’s Céiliúradh concert being hosted at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the Irish President’s historic state visit last April.
“There is a real opportunity to bring the voice of the Irish community into associated exhibitions, talks and events to enhance the impact of the programme,” Ms McShannon said. “This will definitely require some degree of funding which we again hope might be secured through British arts funding or through additional funding and support from Ireland.”
Among community groups already planning commemorative events is the London Easter 1916 Centenary Committee.
“We had a section on the St Patrick’s Day Parade this week,” said its member Denis Grace. “And we intend to hold a celebration of Cumann na mBan and also to link 1916 to today’s society and struggles through a series of workshops.”
Meanwhile Heritage Minster Heather Humphreys added: “We’ve had many achievements over the last 100 years and I think we need to be proud of them. There will be national celebrations and international celebrations, and it’s important that we connect with Embassies all over the world. Wherever there’s Irish, we want to connect with them and have them tell their story. They’ll all have a story to tell.”
Are you planning an event to commemorate the 1916 centenary in Britain next year? If so get in touch by emailing james.mulhall @http://http://irishpost.co.uk or call 02089004354.
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