The 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal ( ga, Bonn Comórtha Céad Bliain) is a military decoration awarded by the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

to personnel of the Irish Defence Forces who served in 2016 to honour the legacy of continued service by the military to the state since its foundation and in recognition for the role they played to commemorate 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising.

Background

The Centenary Commemorative Medal was awarded to all Permanent and

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personnel of the Defence Forces in December 2016 in acknowledgement for the ceremonial role played by ''Óglaigh na hÉireann'' across all aspects of the centenary commemorations programme. The medal is based on the

1916 Medal The 1916 Medal is a service medal of the Republic of Ireland. Established 24 January 1941, the medal was awarded to those who rendered recognised military service during the week of 23 April 1916 during the Easter Rising. Appearance The 1916 Med ...

which was awarded to those who rendered recognised military service during the week of 23 April 1916. The project to deliver a National Flag to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland was conducted between September 2015 and March 2016 and involved 10,000 Defence Forces personnel visiting 3,200 schools and presenting them with a handmade National Flag and a copy of the

Proclamation of the Irish Republic A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

. The

Easter Rising centenary parade The Easter Rising centenary parade took place in Dublin city on Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising. It involved all branches of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces, including the Irish Army, A ...

at the

General Post Office, Dublin The General Post Office (GPO; ga, Ard-Oifig an Phoist) is the headquarters of An Post — the Irish Post Office. It is the principal post office of Dublin — the capital city of Ireland — and is situated in the centre of O'Connell Street, t ...

(GPO) included 2,800 members of the Defence Forces and a display of military equipment, vehicles and aircraft watched by over 750,000 people lining the streets of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Also as part of the 2016 State Centenary Programme, the Defence Forces raised the National Flag on

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry S ...

every day in 2016. 13 parades were held to award the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal to all members of the Defence Forces. The first medals were presented by

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

and members of the government at a state ceremony in

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the s ...

on 4 December 2016, as part of the Centenary programme. This was followed by 12 regional events at selected

military installations A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

nationwide presided over by Minister Paul Kehoe.

Medal Design

The medal is a dark bronze alloy 35 mm in diameter, fashioned (after the manner of the official Defence Forces crest) in the form of a circle of flame representing the sunburst on which eight points of a star are superimposed. The letters 'I' and 'V' are embossed on the left and right of centre of the sunburst, denoting Irish Volunteer. On the reserve side shall be inscribed the dates '1916–2016' with seven diamonds, representing the seven signatories of the

Medal Ribbon

The ribbon is 5 cm in length and is 31 mm wide with 1 x 14 mm wide green stripe, 1 x 3 mm white stripe and 1 x 14 mm orange stripe.

Suspension

The ribbon hangs from a bronze alloy pin-back brooch in which bears a Celtic interlace design.

Service Bar

The bar which is joined to the suspender bears the inscription ''Cuimhnig Ar 1916'' which is translated 'Remember 1916' with a St Brendan's Knot at either side.

Eligibility

The Minister may award the medal to members of the Permanent Defence Forces, members of the Reserve Defence Forces, members of the Army Nursing Service and members of the Chaplaincy Service who are in service at any time during the period 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016 inclusive. Members of the Defence Forces, Army Nursing Service and Chaplaincy Service who die in service in the year 2016 will be eligible for the award of the medal.

Posthumous Awards

A posthumous award may be awarded to one member of the family of the deceased person.

Order of Precedence

The 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal will be worn in order of precedence after the United Nations Peacekeepers Medal and the International Operational Service Medal (if applicable) and before any UN, NATO/PfP or EU medal.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military of the Republic of Ireland Orders, decorations, and medals of Ireland Courage awards Awards established in 2016 2016 establishments in Ireland Centenary of the Easter Rising