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Dublin will get a new piece of public artwork specifically dedicated to the achievements of Irish women over the last century and their role in 1916, the Minister for Arts and Heritage has announced.
The idea for the monument came from a women's workshop on 1916 hosted by Heather Humphreys earlier this year as part of the centenary celebrations.
The Minister said her department will work in conjunction with Dublin City Council and the Arts Council in commissioning the "special piece".
“One of my priorities in leading the 1916 commemorations has been to highlight the role and lives of the remarkable and capable women of 1916 and to allow their voices to be heard; in many cases for the first time,” she said.
“A new specially commissioned art piece, being funded by my department will prominently reflect the role of women in 1916, and will leave a positive and lasting legacy piece in our capital city,” she added.
No proposed completion date has been put forward for the project.
The department will also sponsor two symposia to be held later this year which will look at the role of women in the 1916 Rising and beyond. It will collaborate with the National Women’s Council of Ireland and the ‘Waking the Feminists’ movement for the events.
While Constance Markievicz has always featured prominently in Irish society's recollection of the Easter Rising, the less celebrated part played by people such as nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell, who accompanied Patrick Pearse when he presented the flag of surrender, and sniper Margaret Skinnider has often been overlooked.
Ms Humphreys added: “The commemorations have also provided us with a platform to examine and consider the role of women in Irish life 100 years after 1916 and particularly the space occupied by women in our cultural landscape.
“I want to continue to facilitate the expansive examination of the role of women in Irish life and culture - historically but also in the context of contemporary society in 2016 and as we consider our ambitions for the future.”