The 100th anniversary of the Irish Easter Uprising will be marked by a series of events at the Irish American Community Center in East Haven. The events are being held in conjunction with the Consulate General of Ireland.

Jillian Simms from the community center says the Easter Uprising on 1916 began on Easter Monday, April 24, and eventually served as the catalyst for the Irish War of Independence from 1919-1921.

Simms says, “So many of us at the club grew up with the songs and stories about the uprising. To many Irish people, it’s looked on in a similar way as the American Revolution. Since it’s so much more recent than 1776, many of our grandparents and great grandparents were involved in the war of independence and the civil war that followed the uprising, including my great grandfather.”

She says these events are a chance to “honor the fight and celebrate the nation they liberated.

“I’m especially looking forward to exploring the sing-a-long. The club is often the site of spontaneous singing of Irish songs, but the context and stories behind the rebel songs isn’t as widely known especially among the younger generations,” Simms says.

All events will take place at Irish American Community Center, 9 Venice Place, East Haven.

Irish Sing-a-Long, Friday, April 22

Learn about the origin and meaning of popular Irish songs during an Irish Sing-a-long at 4 p.m. Come ready to sing. Appetizers will be provided, but feel free to bring something to share. At 7 p.m., musician Terry Feeley will provide entertainment to continue the singing all night long.

Senior Social, Irish Ceili, Saturday, April 23

The Senior Social from 2 to 4 p.m. will feature Vincent McMahon, vice president of the Connecticut Irish American Historical Society speaking about the 100th anniversary of the Uprising. Friendship, food, and fun are promised; all are welcome. Seniors who need a ride may contact Eileen Roxbee at 203-584-4233 or roxbeeeileen@gmail.com. From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. there will be a traditional Irish ceili led by The Pride of Mulvey, $15 admission; reservations taken for groups of eight may be made by contacting Eileen Roxbee at roxbeeeileen@gmail.com or 203-584-4233

Irish Breakfast, Flag Raising, Memorial Mass, Seisiun, Sunday, April 24

Irish Breakfast from 9:30 11:30 a.m., reservations requested, contact Anne Hines ahsheep@aol.com.

At noon, flag raising led by the New Haven Emerald Society Pipe Band followed by a reading of the proclamation

1 p.m. Memorial Mass

2 p.m. Traditional Irish music Seisiun lead by Joe Gerhard and Friends

This information provided by the Irish American Community Center.