The Semi-centennial of the Easter Rising occurred in 1966. Many events took place to mark the

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

of the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

Easter Sunday

Celebrations began on Easter Sunday on April 10, 1966 when a Military parade took place in

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

. An estimated 200,000 people attended the march as it paraded down

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 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 ...

before stopped outside the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

, the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising leaders. The then

Irish president 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.Constitut ...

Éamon de Valera took the salute with an estimated 900 veterans of the Easter Rising by his side. Later in the day, the president laid a wreath at

Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Gaol ( ga, Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leade ...

, the execution site of the leaders. The museum was officially opened.

Easter Monday

Religious services were held across the country on

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

in remembrance of the veterans of the Rising. The Garden of Remembrance in

Parnell Square Parnell Square () is a Georgian square sited at the northern end of O'Connell Street in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district. Formerly named ''Rutland Square'', it was renamed after Charles Stewart Parnell (18 ...

was opened by the President and later in the day

Radio Éireann Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

presented a live commemorative concert that was held live at the Gaiety Theatre.

Commemorative coin

During Semi-centennial celebrations, the first

Commemorative coins of Ireland Various commemorative coins denominated in Irish currency were issued until 2002, when the Irish pound (IEP/IR£) came to an end and was superseded by the euro. Since then there have been Irish commemorative coins denominated in euro. Irish pound ...

known simply as the

Ten shilling coin The ten shilling (10s) ( ga, deich scilling) coin was a one-off commemorative coin issued in Ireland in 1966 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Ten shillings was a subdivision of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth of an Irish pou ...

was issued. The coin was designed by Thomas Humphrey Paget and was valued at 10 shillings, therefore having the highest value coin in the pre-decimal system.

References

{{reflist Irish historical anniversaries History of Dublin (city) Éamon de Valera 1966 in Ireland