Madam, - As we move towards the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, it occurs to me that the Ireland of 2016 could well be a very different place to the one envisaged by the brave souls who took it upon themselves to strike a blow for national freedom.
In this post-Celtic-Tiger era, commercialism, "mé-féinism" and, to worrying extent, corruption have replaced what the simpler and more virtuous Ireland which the rebels of 1916 would have envisaged as their legacy.
While this is obviously a simplified interpretation of the vision that drove men and women in their thousands to strike a blow in the face of the status quo, I would be very interested to hear from the descendants of those who fought during Easter Week, and to investigate their readings of the sacrifice their forefathers made for them, in the context of modern Ireland.
Has this society turned its back on the bravery - and, some would say, foolhardiness - of what they attempted to achieve? Have we forgotten the conditions they endured, and ultimately tried to change, so their sons and daughters could live in the modern comforts many of us take for granted? Are we doing enough to celebrate their efforts on our behalf?
Borderline Productions, an independent production company with offices in Dublin and Belfast, is exploring the possibility of a television documentary on the relevance of the Easter Rising today.
We are particularly interest in speaking to people who may well have been influenced by the recollections of parents or grandparents, whether they fought in the Rising, or were among those whose lives were put on hold during a violent and chaotic week.
I can be contacted at the address below, or by e-mail to conchubhair@borderlineproductions.co.uk. - Yours, etc,
CONCHUBHAIR MAC LOCHLAINN, Borderline Productions, 12 Magennis Place, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.