THE Presbyterian Church is to be represented at a state Easter Rising commemoration in Dublin on Sunday.
Dr Trevor Morrow, the church's last moderator from the Republic, will take part in a service to mark the unveiling of a Remembrance Wall in Glasnevin Cemetery.
The wall records the names of the 485 people killed during the Rising, including civilians, members of the British army, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Volunteers and Royal Irish Constabulary.
All of the main Christian denominations will be represented at the service. The event will be the first Rising commemoration that a representative from the Presbyterian Church has attended.
Caretaker taoiseach Enda Kenny will lay a wreath in memory of all those who were killed. Alliance leader David Ford said last night he would also attend the service.
Dr Morrow, Minister Emeritus of Lucan Presbyterian Church in Co Dublin, said the Rising was a "seminal event in the history of the
establishment of the Irish Republic and one that has shaped the political landscape and relationships in these islands ever since".
"Having held a major conference on the Easter Rising and Battle of the Somme centenaries earlier this year, given the significance of
this centenary, it was agreed in principle that the Church should be represented at an appropriate event organised by the state to mark the occasion," he said.
"Having been formally invited to participate, in what we consider to be a measured and reflective event where we will remember those who lost their lives, it was felt appropriate that we should take part."
Mr Ford, who declined to attend last weekend's main Easter Rising commemorations, said Sunday's event would explore "the impact of the Rising on all".
"It is vital we explore the consequences of violence and do not seek to glorify it," he said.
DUP leader Arlene Foster previously said she would not attend any Rising commemorations. But she was present at a 1916 debate in Dublin in February, organised by the Church of Ireland Historical Centenaries Working Group.
