A Chara With respect, we call upon you to consider our petition for the establishment of a Non-Political 1916 Easter Rising Martyrs Reburial Committee. On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, some 1,600 people joined together in a rebellion against oppression which culminated in the seizure of the General Post Office in Dublin. They came from all walks of life: From Socialist James Connolly, a Scottish trade union leader and political theorist to Constance Markievicz, who was the first Woman elceted to Parliment, a Countess turned labor activist, who hailed from one of the largest landowning families in County Sligo; from Sir Roger Casement, a British public servant turned poet and Irish rights’ activist to Maud Gonne, an English-born actress turned feminist and muse to Irish poet WB Yeats. But mostly they were ordinary citizens who did not share the same religion and did not subscribe to the same political groups. Here was populace still reeling from the brutality and heartbreak of losing millions of loved one to two devastating famines. Just three years earlier, more than 20,000 workers, denied the right to unionise, were locked out of their jobs by their employers for five months. And now with the passage of the National Service Act in January 1916, the general public was being threatened with conscription in which they would be facing the same system of discrimination based on religion and land-owning status already being exemplified by home rule. Together these factors resulted in one binding link -- a quest for freedom that was so strong, it had reached the point of rebellion. Although it was contained within a week, historians now consider the 1916 Easter Rising to be not only one of the most pivotal events to shape modern Irish history, but an occurrence that led to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland and continues to influence all aspects of Irish life today. Moreover, the 1916 Easter Rising has garnered significant worldwide recognition. A simple, Internet search will reveal the availability of thousands of online informational pages and books as well as hundreds of themed museums and museum exhibitions highlighting the rebellion across the globe. Now, as we approach the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, the city of Dublin is in the process of developing a major programme to commemorate the role the 1916 Easter Rising has played in Irish history while similar events are being planned across the island –both North and South. Yet despite the prominence historians worldwide have given to this single event, the 14 leaders and participants who were executed for their participation in the Easter Rising have never been buried properly. After executing them, the British firing squads took the corpses and buried them in Arbour Hill, without service or funeral. We, as a nation, owe decent burials to these men, their memories, and their families. Please help end this national disgrace by signing this petition and pledging your support towards the creation of a non-party political committee that will oversee the transfer and reburial of our 1916 martyrs with the status and dignity they deserve as Ireland’s freedom fighters. We can then put in place a monument fitting to their and all the other Irish men and women who gave their lives for Freedom. Name Email / Contact Information Signature

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