Irish president calls for 'new Ireland' at Easter Rising centenary event

Ireland's president Michael D Higgins has called for Irish people to take responsibility for building a true Republic, as he spoke on the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

In an address to descendants of those who fought and died, he said the ideals of the uprising can still inspire today.

The President's speech at the descendants' reception in Dublin followed the opening day in a weekend of centenary celebrations.

What was the Easter Rising?

  • A Republican rebellion in 1916 against British rule in Ireland

  • 1,350 people were killed or injured during the six day insurrection, which was crushed by the British

  • 15 rebel leaders were subsequently executed by British firing squad at Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol

  • The Rising is seen as a significant step towards the establishment of the Republic of Ireland

Mr Higgins began the 100 year anniversary by laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square, the site where the Irish Volunteers was founded, in honour of all those who fought and died for Irish freedom.

The Irish president began the centenary of the Easter Rising by laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square Credit: Reuters

He recalled conditions in Dublin at the time of Rising with 5,000 tenements in the city centre's Georgian buildings housing 87,000 people, including 20,000 families with one room to call home.

He also highlighted the important role of women in the rebellion, largely overlooked for much of the 20th century, other than by some historians and feminists.

The biggest event takes place on Easter Sunday when more than a quarter of a million people will line the streets for a massive parade through Dublin city centre - in what is being billed as the largest public celebration in the history of the state.