It is important for people to come out onto the streets of Dublin to join in the march celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
Mr Ahern said people should commemorate what the Irish Army — Oglaigh na hEireann — have done for the country.
"It is important for people to acknowledge not only what Oglaigh na hEireann do in Ireland, and our Irish army have done that so well, but also commemorate what they have done for the United Nations and are doing for the United Nations all over the world," he said.
"They are the descendants of 1916. I think people will always want to acknowledge the spirit and the achievements of our army and also it is an inclusive occasion. We all come from divided pasts but I think we want to work into the future together. It is important that we can commemorate these issues."
At the launch of the new commemorative 1916 exhibition 'The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916' in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, Mr Ahern said he hoped people would visit the museum to see the materials detailing the decade of disturbance between 1913 and 1923.
In a speech to the audience gathered for the launch, he said: "This Easter, we must renew our republicanism by marrying new ideas to steadfast values. We must begin a great national conversation on what it means to be Irish, on the values that we hold and on the hopes that we cherish.
"We have a duty to honour the dead generations who have gone before us. In the coming week, Ireland will again discharge that duty. We also have a solemn duty to vindicate the living generations who will come after us."
The new exhibition entitled The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916was officially opened by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, today.
The exhibition focuses on the decade of disturbance between 1913 and 1923, from the Dublin Lockout, through the Easter Rising to the end of the Civil War.
It includes an original copy of the Proclamation of Independence, donated only last month to the National Museum, as one of the centre-pieces of the exhibition.
The exhibition also features the beautifully illuminated manuscript Leabhar na hAiséirghe( Book of the Resurrection), created by the artist-scribe Art O'Murnaghan to commemorate those who had died in the struggle for independence.
At the opening the Taoiseach said the Director and the curators of the exhibition had put together a "fascinating montage" of life before, during and after the Rising.
"I want to congratulate the National Museum on the excellence of this exhibition and encourage people to come and see the many splendid historical items on display," he added.
The exhibition is based at the National Museum of Ireland in Collins Barracks.
Additional reporting PA