1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal

1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal Irish: Bonn Comórtha Céad Bliain
1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal (ribbon)
Awarded by  Ireland
Type	Wearable
Eligibility	Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, NCOs & Other Ranks of the Defence Forces and members of the Army Nursing and Chaplaincy Services.
Awarded for	Awarded to Defence Forces personnel in recognition of the role they played to commemorate 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising
Statistics
Established	December 2016
Total awarded	~ 13,000
Precedence
Next (higher)	United Nations Peacekeepers Medal/International Operational Service Medal
Next (lower)	UN, NATO or EU medal

The 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal (Irish: Bonn Comórtha Céad Bliain) is a military decoration awarded by the Government of Ireland to personnel of the Irish Defence Forces who served in 2016 to honour the legacy of continued service by the military to the state since its foundation and in recognition for the role they played to commemorate 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising.

The Centenary Commemorative Medal was awarded to all Permanent and Reserve personnel of the Defence Forces in December 2016 in acknowledgement for the ceremonial role played by Óglaigh na hÉireann across all aspects of the centenary commemorations programme. The medal is based on the 1916 Medal which was awarded to those who rendered recognised military service during the week of 23 April 1916.

The project to deliver a National Flag to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland was conducted between September 2015 and March 2016 and involved 10,000 Defence Forces personnel visiting 3,200 schools and presenting them with a handmade National Flag and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

The Easter Rising centenary parade at the General Post Office, Dublin (GPO) included 2,800 members of the Defence Forces and a display of military equipment, vehicles and aircraft watched by over 750,000 people lining the streets of Dublin. Also as part of the 2016 State Centenary Programme, the Defence Forces raised the National Flag on O'Connell Street every day in 2016.

13 parades were held to award the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal to all members of the Defence Forces. The first medals were presented by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and members of the government at a state ceremony in Dublin Castle on 4 December 2016, as part of the Centenary programme. This was followed by 12 regional events at selected military installations nationwide presided over by Minister Paul Kehoe.