Program of Events

Welcome and Introductory Remarks

Dr Eamonn McEneaney, Chair, Thomas Francis Meagher Tricolour Celebration Committee.

“Would that he had died in battle”: Thomas Francis Meagher in America

Dr Maxine Keoghan, historian and author.

“A benefactor to humanity?” Irish foreign policy and statecraft in the 20th century

Dr Edward Burke, Assistant Professor in the History of War since 1945, University College Dublin.

Coffee Break

“The indifferent Irish voter”

Dr Theresa Reidy, Professor, Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork.

“Meagher's Tricolour: past, present and future”

Dr Daniel Mulhall, Patron of the Thomas Francis Meagher Tricolour Celebration; former Irish Ambassador to the United States and Great Britain.

Gala Dinner

Drinks reception 6:30pm, dinner 7:30pm. The weekend highlight — meet distinguished guests, enjoy great food and a Tricolour flag ceremony led by a piper, with music from harpist and flautist Áine McCarthy Kent. Tickets €75 (Black Tie). Book directly with the Granville Hotel on 051-305555.

Thomas Francis Meagher Fife and Drum Band

Start the final morning of the celebration with the sounds of the Thomas Francis Meagher Fife and Drum Band at the Granville Hotel.

Parade of Veterans

The Barrack Street Concert Band provides pre-parade entertainment on The Mall. The De La Salle Scout Pipe Band then leads the procession through the streets of Waterford from the Granville Hotel to the Waterford Crystal Plaza.

Commemoration & Wreath Laying Ceremony

Master of Ceremonies Dymphna Nugent leads this tribute to the legacy of Thomas Francis Meagher, followed by the Wreath Laying Ceremony.

Thomas Francis Meagher Oration

National Tricolour Flag Raising Celebration

The weekend finale — the national flag is raised in the city where it was first displayed. The National Anthem and Salute are performed by the Barrack Street Concert Band, marking the 178th anniversary of the flag Thomas Francis Meagher gifted to Ireland as a symbol of peace and unity.