Seven people signed the Proclamation of the Republic in 1916 - four of them were poets. To commemorate its centenary, Cork City Council has commissioned four of Ireland's leading contemporary writers to reflect on the meaning of this single most important artefact of the 1916 Rising.

'We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies."The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens.'Seven people signed the Proclamation of the Republic in 1916 - four of them were poets. To commemorate its centenary, Cork City Council has commissioned four of Ireland's leading contemporary writers to reflect on the meaning of this single most important artefact of the 1916 Rising.Did it ever live up to the idealistic aspirations it pronounced? Does it still have a message for us, 100 years after it was written? Read the reflections of four Irish writers on how it resonates today.