cenotaph

His story typifies the often complex nature of cultural relationships: he was a champion of Irish liberty, but his great song "The Minstrel Boy" – written for rebels fighting Britain – is played by the band of the Irish Guards at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day.

These will include the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park, and many other famous structures across Britain commemorating the service of the armed forces in the First and Second World Wars.

To mark the historic event, the Cenotaph in Whitehall has been draped in a large Union flag - the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.

London's Cenotaph will become a focal point for quiet reflection when commemorations begin on Bank Holiday Monday.

The procession will travel down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall.