www.Inspiring-Ireland.ie.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Culture Ireland, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, said: “The ideals of 1916 were born out of a movement that was as much cultural as it was political. The Gaelic and Literary revivals helped to inspire a new generation who believed Ireland could flourish as an independent nation. It is fitting, therefore, that Culture Ireland is developing an extensive programme, allowing Irish artists to present their work, and their reflections on 1916, to the world.

“The recent Marriage Equality Referendum demonstrated just how connected our young diaspora are to life here at home. I want to ensure that we capture their imagine next year, as part of the Ireland 2016 commemorations. What better way to engage young people than through the arts. The Culture Ireland Ireland 2016 programme will have the global reach to connect with our Diaspora and make them a part of this once in a generation event.”

Ireland 2016 Global and Diaspora Programme
The Global and Diaspora Programme is one of the seven strands of the overall Ireland 2016 programme, which was launched by the Taoiseach on 31 March 2015. The Ireland 2016 Global and Diaspora Programme is a once-in-a-century opportunity at home and overseas to explore, present, debate and reflect on Ireland then, now and to imagine the next 100 years.  As part of Ireland 2016, Ireland’s embassies and consulates, together with Culture Ireland, will also be promoting the best of Irish arts and culture worldwide. The following are just some of the events that are currently being planned around the globe:

• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland, will host a three-week festival of Irish arts and culture entitled ‘Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture’.
• A concert featuring Irish classical musicians and singers will take place at the renowned London venue, the Wigmore Hall, in April 2016.  Led by the Wigmore Hall’s Irish Director, John Gilhooly, this major concert will showcase the Irish contribution to classical music as part of the 2016 commemorations.   
• Over the course of the weekend of 27-29 June 2015, a range of events will take place to commemorate the life and death of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa with the support of the Irish Consulate General in New York. These will include a GAA tournament at Gaelic Park in the Bronx; a community and cultural celebration in Queens; and a mass and wreath laying ceremony at the O’Donovan Rossa memorial at St. Peter’s Church in Staten Island.
• From March to July 2016, the Irish Embassy in Buenos Aires will hold schools’ essay and art competitions, which will encourage participants to reflect on themes that include the Easter Rising and Irish-Argentine relations. A schools’ ‘Gaelic Football Blitz’ will also take place.
• In Sydney, a series of performances of Seán O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars will take place during the annual St Patrick’s Day Festival.
• Next year’s Paris International Beckett Festival will run for the entire month of March 2016 and will include a focus on the 1916 Rising.  The Sixteen16 centennial programme will involve performances that respond to Samuel Beckett’s work by sixteen Irish artists or artistic groups from Ireland’s theatre, dance, literature, visual arts, music and film sectors.
• The Culture Ireland International Programme for Ireland 2016 includes major tours, performances and exhibitions involving Irish artists across five key territories (USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).
• The Irish Arts Center in New York will run an expanded programme of activity in 2016 including artists such as The Gloaming, Corn Exchange and Camille O’Sullivan, while Poetry Ireland will run an Irish Writers’ Touring Programme to US Literary festivals and events.
• Irish Film Institute International will hold a series of international screenings in New York and London including archival feature films relating to the events of 1916.
• Presentation of The Casement Project by Choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchuir as part of the London International Festival of Theatre with a possible symposium partnership with the British Library.
• A new operatic version of James Joyce’s The Dead, produced by The Performance Corporation and presented at Festivals in Canada.
• Macnas will perform at the 2016 South by South West Festival, Austin, Texas, while a major international exhibition will be curated by the Science Gallery in Melbourne, Australia.