A plaque has been unveiled in Dublin to honor the first child killed during the 1916 Easter Rising.
Sean Francis Foster was hit in the head by a bullet as his mother attempted to push his pram to safety after fighting broke out between Irish Volunteers and the British Army on Church Street, in Dublin, during the 1916 Easter Rising. He was just two years old.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste unveiled a plaque honoring Foster at Sean Foster Place, on North King Street, on Thursday.
"Whilst it is important that we honor the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising, it is also important to ensure the innocent dead are not forgotten," de Róiste said at Thursday's ceremony.
"Until now, many of them have gone unnamed, their final resting places unmarked, their sacrifice unrecognized. Today we remember and honor Sean Foster, one of the innocent victims."
Foster was one of 40 children to die during the Easter Rising, with 16 civilians believed to have died on North King Street.
Music duo Foster and Allen performed "Grace" at Thursday's ceremony, a song dedicated to Joseph Mary Plunkett, a signatory of the Proclamation of Independence who was executed for his role in the Easter Rising.
Mick Foster, a member of the famous music duo, is a second cousin of Sean Foster and told those gathered at the unveiling ceremony that he was "honored and delighted" that his relative was being remembered.
"Ted Foster was Sean’s brother who was actually in the pram with him when he was shot… I have a great-grandson, and he’s called Ted," Mick Foster said at the ceremony.
Sean Foster's first cousin, Terence O'Neill, also spoke in Irish and English at the ceremony, stating that there were first, second, third, and fourth cousins present at the unveiling.
RTÉ broadcaster Joe Duffy, who wrote a book on the children killed during the Rising, also spoke at Thursday's ceremony.
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