SYNCHRONISED wreath-laying at sites across Dublin and in key locations outside the capital marked the centenary of the Easter Rising.
The commemorative ceremonies took place as thousands gathered on the streets of Dublin to take part in RTÉ's Reflecting the Rising, which was billed as the largest artistic and cultural outdoors event ever staged in Ireland.
Crowds congregated in locations from Merrion Square on the southside to Smithfield on the northside of the Liffey to the enjoy talks, debates, music, theatre, films and multimedia displays that explore events of Easter week and its aftermath.
At 1.15pm wreaths were placed at a number of sites which played a important role in the 1916 uprising, including Boland's Mill, the Jacob's Factory on Bishop Street, City Hall, the Four Courts, The Royal College of Surgeons, Moore Street, and the South Dublin Union on the site of the present-day St James’ Hospital.
Similar ceremonies were held at the same time in Athenry, Co Galway, Cork, Enniscorthy in Co Wexford and Ashbourne in Co Meath. The wreaths will later be gathered and brought to the 1916 memorial at Arbour Hill.
In Enniscorthy, thousands of people lined the streets to commemorate the town's role in the Rising. Around150 volunteers took part in the four-day insurrection in the town in 1916, with many of their descendants present at the ceremony.
More than 1,000 people took part in a parade through the town, including hundreds of pike men and women as well as armoured vehicles from the Irish Defence Forces.
Later in the day attention turned to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin where the 'Centenary' cultural celebration saw some of Ireland's best-known performers take to the stage.
Centenary was a special one-off cultural celebration and the culmination of Ireland 2016 and RTÉ's programme of events over the Easter weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. It told the story of modern Ireland through music, dance and song.
Performers included Imelda May, Jack L, Gavin James, The High Kings, Colm Wilkinson, Danny O'Reilly, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Sharon Shannon, Dónal Lunny, John Sheahan, Celine Byrne, and Seo Linn.
