1916 Commemorations in Kenya

On Sunday 24th April, exactly 100 years since the commencement of the Easter Rising,over 100 members of the Irish community in Kenya gathered in the Ambassadors Residence to commemorate the events of 1916.

On Sunday, 24th April the Embassy and the members of the Kenya Irish Society commemorated 100 years since the Easter Rising with a celebration of Irish culture held at the Ambassador's residence in Nairobi.

1916 was a significant year in the history of modern Ireland. On Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916 a group of Irish men and women seized the General Post Office in Dublin and proclaimed a free Irish Republic in which the egalitarian idea was centrally enshrined. The Proclamation, which was first read out by Patrick Pearse on the steps of the GPO just after noon, declared the rights of the people of Ireland to be sovereign. It looked forward to the establishment of a native Government elected on the democratic principles of self-determination and government by consent. The 1916 rising set in train an unstoppable process which led to the separation of Ireland from Great Britain.

A series of official commemorative events have taken place in Ireland this year with the overarching themes of Remember, Reflect, Reimagine:

- Remembering our history and in particular the events of 1916
- Reflecting on our achievements as a Republic in the intervening century
- Reimagining our future for coming generations

Please visit the Irish Government's official 2016 Commemoration website for more information.

The commemoration in Kenya was a celebration of Irish poetry, prose and song from the 1916 era or inspired by it, performed by members of the Irish community, young and old. Ben Phillips, a grand nephew of Padraig Pearse, spoke of his experiences at the official commemorations in Dublin which had taken place at Easter and also recited one of his grand-uncles celebrated poems. Other participants recited poetry by W.B. Yeats & Francis Ledwidge; prose by James Joyce and performed well-known Irish songs.

The 1916 commemoration was an opportunity to reflect not just on the history of Ireland, but also the history of the Irish people in Kenya over the past 100 years. A special project entitled '100 years of the Irish in Kenya' is underway with a view to capturing and communicating Ireland's engagement and contribution to Kenyan society over the past 100 years. This will likely be launched in July of this year.

Further commemorative events are planned for 2016, please contact the Embassy for more details.

You can learn more about the Kenya Irish Society and see further pictures on our Facebook page.