Sydney Commemorates the Proclamation and the Rising

Sydney Commemorates the Proclamation and the Rising

General Post Office, Martin Place & Dixon Room, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney

28 March 2016 – 10am

This event organised by the Aisling Society of Sydney will begin with a public recitation of the Proclamation of the Republic outside the General Post Office in Sydney, followed by a range of film screenings at the nearby State Library of New South Wales.

The reading of the Proclamation on Easter Monday 2016 will provide an opportunity for Irish, Irish-Australians and others to publicly mark the occasion of the centenary of the Rising. This will reflect both the ‘Remember’ and ‘Celebrate’ themes of Ireland 2016, as we recall our shared history and renew our commitment to the Proclamation ideals of liberty and equality.

Three films will then be screened at the Dixon Room in the State Library of New South Wales, beginning with ‘A Terrible Beauty’ at 11am. This docudrama takes a unique look at the events of the Easter Rising by telling the story from both the Irish and British perspectives, showing the human cost of the fighting on both sides. ‘Who dares to speak of Easter Week’ is a recently recovered gem from Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive, dating from 1916 this film would have been shown in Australia in the aftermath of the Rising. ‘Irish Destiny’ is the final film in the programme and will be shown from 2pm; the film was made to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Easter Rising and was lost for decades until its rediscovery in an American archive in the 1990s.

The Consulate in Sydney is delighted to support the Aisling Society of Sydney in organising this event, which builds on the close relationship built up with the Society over recent years.

For more information visit Eventbrite and the Aisling Society website.