1916 Rising plans

The 1916 Relatives Association has welcomed the announcements that the Government has appointed John Concannon to head up the National Commemorative events in 2016.

A spokesman for the group, which has a membership of over 800, said, “Today’s news is a new dawn and the group greatly welcomes the involvement of An Taoiseach, his secretary general, Martin Frasier and the appointment of John Corcoran.

“Our group has spent the past number of months lobbying all key ministers to take the commemorations seriously. Sadly, one piece of the jigsaw is missing, the ongoing issue of the retention of properties on Moore Street. The group believe that the restoration of Moore Street is a central aspect to the commemorations.”

The spokessman continued, “In the past, the group has been subjected to and deeply troubled by the various levels of incompetence by officials in the government department. The group has also been subjected to a long line of misinformation and false promises. The new working group, led by John Concannon, provides an essential provision of marketing the commemorations at home and across the globe amongst the Irish diaspora who want to return home to celebrate the birth of the nation.”