DECADE OF COMMEMORATION ‘The 1916 Rising’ Its Context and Legacy
4th Nov 2014
7.30pm – 9.30pm
Luton Irish Forum, 102 Hitchin Road, Luton LU2 0ES
 Advance Booking is Essential
 Doors open 7.15pm
 Free parking onsite and in adjacent public car park
Luton Irish Forum is proud to deliver a fascinating evening of Irish history with two high profile speakers Ambassador Dan Mulhall, Embassy of Ireland and Dr. Ivan Gibbons, Programme Director of Irish Studies St Marys University. The period between 1912 and 1922 saw tumultuous change take place across the island of Ireland. Key events included the Home Rule crisis, WW1, the 1916 Rising, the rise of Sinn Fein and the foundation of Dáil Eireann, the War of Independence, the creation of the Irish Free State and the Civil War.
They will deal with the background to the 1916 Rising in its wider context and the aftermath for British and Irish citizens. Ireland’s Ambassador to Britain Dan Mulhall will then discuss Irish government plans for the 2016 commemorations and how the government is proposing to engage the Diaspora in the programme.
The question and answer session will be chaired by Pauline Lavin, MSC Event Management Graduate University of Ulster who will be fielding a series of questions around potential ways to engage the Diaspora in the 2016 commemorations and seeking to identify potential ideas that the Irish government and tourism agencies could develop.
Tom Scanlon, Chair of Luton Irish Forum said ‘As we enter this very important period of commemoration, we are fortunate to host this important event. The events of 1916 are to this day potentially divisive, therefore it’s important that these events are organised with a sense of pride, humility and above all a sense of reconciliation. Luton Irish Forum is confident that as a result of the historic Good Friday Agreement these commemorations will add to deep sense of purpose and understanding between the people of these Islands’.
