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Irish Defence Forces personnel attend a ceremony commemorating the 103rd anniversary of Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, April 21, 2019. The Easter Rising is an armed insurrection launched by the Irish republicans to end the British rule in Ireland. It began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, and last for six days. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, April 21 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony commemorating the 103rd anniversary of Easter Rising, an armed uprising by the Irish people against the British rule, was held here Sunday.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins, his wife Sabina Mary Coyne, and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attended the ceremony which was held in front of the General Post Office (GPO), the headquarters of the 1916 armed uprising.

The ceremony included an inspection of the guard of honor of the three services of the Irish Defence Forces by the president, the lowering of the Irish national flag on top of the GPO, and a reading of the Proclamation of the Republic, a document issued by the rebels during the 1916 Easter Rising to declare Ireland's independence from the UK.

A minute's silence following the laying of a wreath by Higgins was observed to honor those who died in the uprising.

Hundreds of local people, including the relatives of those who died in the Easter Rising, attended the ceremony which was brought to a close with a fly-over of three planes from the Irish Air Corps.

The Easter Rising is an armed insurrection launched by the Irish republicans to end the British rule in Ireland. It began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, and last for six days. Almost 500 people were killed in the rising.