This event is part of a programme of commemorative events that form part of the Decade of Centenaries. On Thursday 31 July President Michael D. Higgins led a ceremony to dedicate a "Cross of Sacrifice" in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin 11. The erection of the cross is a cooperative venture between Glasnevin Trust and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Consisting of a cross embedded with a bronze sword, mounted on an octagonal base, the 'Cross of Sacrifice' is erected in cemeteries containing more than 40 graves of soldiers commemorated by the CWGC.
President Higgins will attend an official commemoration of the outbreak of the First World War in Belgium on August 4th. This event will be hosted by the United Kingdom at St. Symphorien Military Cemetery near Mons. The President will be joined by other heads of State and representatives of all the countries involved in the fighting along the western front.
Ireland will be represented at Commemorations to take place in Glasgow on August 4th by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, who has responsibility for the Decade of Centenaries. Minister Humphreys will participate in the memorial events alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron and Commonwealth representatives.
Minister Humphreys will then travel to Belfast for a number of commemorative ceremonies, including a Service of Solemn Commemoration which will be held at St Anne's Cathedral.
* As part of its commitment to the Decade of Centenaries, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has funded a number of initiatives including special editions of the Century Ireland digital newspaper which will publish real-time reports of the events of a century ago, as well as contemporary expert commentary. Updates will be posted to: http://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/
The Department also sponsored a supplement to the Irish Times; 'Countdown to War' in May of this year, which was distributed free to schools and made available online at: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/century/century-ww1 The Department is working with the Irish Times on two further “Century” supplements this calendar year on the war itself – one on the Irish Experience: Stories from the Trenches, and Culture and the War.
The National Cultural Institutions are also engaged in presenting material to mark the centenary of World War One: The National Library of Ireland has partnered with Trinity College Dublin and RTE on World War One Roadshow events, the most recent of which took place in TCD on July 12th.
The National Museum of Ireland features significant material on Irish Soldiers in World War one in its 'Soldiers and Chiefs' exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin and the Museum has organised a series of talks, conferences and events relating to the War, with the next such conference planned for October 2014.