Thousands Expected At O’Donovan Rossa Funeral Centenary

He died on Staten Island on 29 June 1915, age 83.

A FULL-SCALE re-enactment of the legendary O’Donovan Rossa funeral in 1915 is taking place at 1pm this Saturday (August 1).

President Higgins laid a wreath on behalf of the Irish people and and the famous oration, which Pearse gave at the graveside 100 years ago, was delivered by Jim Roche.

“Life springs from death; and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half”, he said.

“While Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace”.

1,500 tickets were made available to the public, to attend today’s event, while another 5,000 are expected to gather outside Glasnevin Cemetery to watch the proceedings on big screens.

In the 1850s, O’Donovan Rossa was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) known colloquially as the Fenians, a reference to Na Fianna, a band of warriors who defended Ireland from invaders in Irish mythology. Even 100 years after his death his name is synonymous with the Fenians and with Irish nationalism.

Remarkably, Michael Collins was in Rosscarbery on both the first and last days of his life – visiting the village just hours before he was shot and killed at Beal na mBlath.

She has recorded “The Foggy Dew” in honour of the funeral re-enactment of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa in Dublin, Ireland on August 1st 2015.

The event is seen as a pivotal moment in Irish history, as several of those who attended went on to take part in the Rising.

There was a re-enactment of Pádraig Pearse’s iconic graveside oration.

Minister Humphreys added: “Today marks the official start of the ceremonial calendar in our Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, which is leading up to the commemoration of the 1916 Rising in Easter of next year”.

“The funeral of O’Donovan Rossa was a milestone in Irish history and its impact on the mood and motivations of those in attendance can not be underestimated”.