Event in Dublin to mark women's role in 1916

To mark International Women's Day today, women from all sectors of Irish society are to attend a special Ireland 2016 state event at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham to highlight the role played by women in the 1916 Rising.

Constance Markievicz (above) played a major part in the uprising and among those attending will be relatives of women involved in the rebellion.

Kildare nurse Eva Burke from Carbury was also in the GPO and nursed the wounded James Connolly, who had been shot in the ankle by a British sniper. She died aged 89 in 1974.

President Michael D Higgins will deliver the keynote address at today's event.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys said: "In the decades that followed the Rising, the role played by women in bringing about our independence was diluted, often deliberately.

"New academic research over the last ten years, led by women like Sinéad McCoole, has shed new light on the experience of and contribution of women in the events of 1916.

"One hundred years on from the Rising, we have a unique opportunity to honour the women who put their lives on the line at a time when they didn’t even have the vote," she added.

At the event, a quilt made by 77 women from across Ireland will be on display, reflecting the stories of the 77 women held in Richmond Barracks in the aftermath of the Rising.

Meanwhile, the National Library of Ireland is to hold a special lecture to mark International Women's Day.

Delivered by Dr Marie Coleman of Queen's University Belfast, it will focus on the role played by women in the Irish revolution from 1916 to 1923.