The day-long centenary celebration hosted by the Irish government on Sunday, April 24 at Pier A Harbor House in downtown Manhattan has switched from being a ticketed event to an open one on a first come, first served basis.
Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly will travel to New York to represent the Irish government at the festivities.
The flag party participating in the commemorative ceremony from the Irish Defense Forces also led the way at the GPO in Dublin for the celebrations last month. Captain Peter Kelleher of Irish Defense Forces, 27th Infantry Battalion, who read the Proclamation at the GPO, will also do so in Wagner Park.
A full program of events – all of which are free and open to all -- have been organized to mark this centennial from 11 a.m. until 5:30 at Wagner Park in Battery Park City and at nearby Pier A.. The government of Ireland and Irish community official commemorative ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in Wagner Park. The ceremony will involve the reading of the Proclamation and the raising of the national flags. New York and Irish political leaders will participate, as will the Irish Defense Forces and the 69th Infantry Regiment.
A star-studded music and cultural program entitled ‘Welcoming Ireland!” will follow immediately after the ceremony at Wagner Park (capacity 6,000) and Pier A. The best of Irish music, dance, theatre, poetry and more will be on offer.
The full line-up for Wagner Park main stage has been released and includes Martin Hayes, and Dennis Cahill of the Gloaming fame. Niall O’Leary will lead the crowd in a huge “Walls of Limerick” to close the main stage on Sunday evening.
The Atlantic Youth Trust, the all-Ireland organization, will also participate in the cultural celebration and will run a program for young people aged 10–18 on a specially sourced Tall ship over the course of the day. The ship will be docked beside Pier A and access will also be through Pier A.
For more information, visit ireland2016ny.com.
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