An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | ciation for the selfless service of the volunteer soldiers, sailors and aircrew of Óglaigh na hÉireann, who have served Ireland and the Irish people since the foundation of the State. In awarding you this medal, we commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and we recognise the central role played by Óglaigh na hÉireann in the past and in this cente- nary year." - The Government of Ireland, December 2016. The centenary year formally opened on a cold, wet New Year's Day in Dublin Castle, where members of Óglaigh na hÉireann paraded with flags representing each of the historic organisations, battalions and garrisons who partici- pated in the Rising. Well before that day, however, the centenary programme had begun on a sunnier day, 1st August 2015, at the cente- nary of the funeral of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa at which PH Pearse had given his iconic graveside oration in Glasnev- in; a funeral that has come to be regarded as a crucial turn- ing point for nationalist revolutionaries and their decision to engage in armed rebellion nine months later. At the 2015 event Óglaigh na hÉireann provided a nation- al colour party; a captain's guard of honour; the motorcycle escort of honour; a firing party; the Army No 1 Band; mili- tary police; and other elements. The event was reported as a resounding success and set the tone for our involvement in over 60 State ceremonial events in the year to follow. While the preparations for the O'Donovan Rossa com- memoration were in their final stages, plans were also being finalised for the significant and logistically challeng- ing task of presenting flags to every primary school in the country (including private, special and island community schools) in 3,300 individual ceremonies. The National Flag for Primary Schools initiative involved units from all three services of Óglaigh na hÉireann cover- ing thousands of kilometres between 14th September 2015 and 14th March 2016. In a half-hour, set-piece ceremony, of- ficers and NCOs presented each school with a high-quality, Irish-made national flag, a copy of the 1916 Proclamation, a copy of Amhrán na bhFiann (the score for which was origi- nally set by the Army School of Music) and a formal certifi- cate from Óglaigh na hÉireann. Schools in the gaeltachtaí and gaelscoileanna were visited by serving personnel with proficiency in Irish. The dedicated staff of the DF Printing Press carried out all of the printing as well as a purpose-made folder for the commemorative documents. Staff from J4, the logistics directorate, planned and controlled the significant logisti- cal effort, while J6, the CIS directorate, mapped the entire operation across the DF intranet. Events over Easter weekend drew unprecedented numbers (estimated by the Irish Times at more than a million) onto the streets of Dublin. The Easter parade was the largest mili- tary parade since the 50th Anniversary in 1966, and included PDF and RDF personnel from all three services; veterans organisations; An Garda Síochána; and detachments repre- senting the other 'blue light' emergency services. While that parade, and the incredible aerial footage taken by RTÉ, courtesy of Air Corps helicopter assets, will live on in the public imagination, there were many other smaller-scale ceremonies that were important in their own right. Every day since January 1st members of Óglaigh na hÉireann have ceremo- nially raised and lowered the national flag at the GPO, in the centre of our nation's capital. This will con- tinue every day until it is lowered for the last time on New Year's Eve 2016. (It is worth pointing out that flag-raising/lowering ceremonies at sunrise and sunset are an honour that is paid to the flag every day in every barracks and military post at home and overseas, on land and at sea.) Outside of Dublin, DF personnel raised the national flag at 31 individual civic ceremo- nies this year – one for each local authority area. Together with the Flags for Schools initiative, this has allowed many com- munities to experience our professional- ism at first hand and to have their own commemora- tive ceremo- nies imbued with all of the dignity and solemnity that Óglaigh na hÉ- ireann brings. Capt Peter Kelleher reads the 1916 Proclamation at the GPO on Easter Sunday 2016, while hundreds of thousands of citizens line the streets of the capital. Foreword from President of Ireland and Chief Commander of the Defence Forces Michael D. Higgins: "...a recognition of the spirit of commitment and selfless sense of duty which so defines Óglaigh na hÉireann in the eyes of Irish citizens."

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