There is no unanimity on how or when to mark a grim chapter of our history, but there are some hopeful signs

Ambivalence about the date is down to the Civil War and Partition

For the first 50 years after independence there were good arguments against the utility of the State; but then came two transformative moments

A State born in violence has achieved much, not least maintaining the rule of democracy, but much remains to be done

A momentous day was sullied by the violence of the Civil War, WT Cosgrave said when delivering the first speech in an independent State

Democracy’s endurance suggests we got more right than wrong, but there are long shadows