Today marks the anniversary of a pivotal moment in Irish history as the Dáil officially celebrates its 100th birthday.
The first meeting of Dáil Éireann was held in the round room of the Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, on 21 January 1919.
Candidates who had been elected in the UK elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Westminster parliament and instead established an independent assembly in Dublin.
'Independence Declared,' the Herald's headline boomed as its reporter recorded the doors of the Mansion House in Dublin were thrown open at 3pm that afternoon.
The room was crammed with onlookers and journalists, who greatly outnumbered the 27 members who attended.
WATCH: The first Dáil and what it said in the papers. @SandriCollins of the National Library takes us through how the momentous events of January 21st, 1919 were reported and spots some early "fake news". pic.twitter.com/dKY1VmXuoL
— RTÉ Politics (@rtepolitics) 21 January 2019
The momentous elections a few weeks earlier had seen the more radical Sinn Féin, led by Éamon de Valera, sweep to victory against the Irish Parliamentary Party in what would be seen as a cry for independence.
The same elections saw women over 30 vote for the first time, and the election of Countess Markievicz who went on to be Minister for Labour from 1919 to 1922.
In what would also be the last election where Ireland was part of the UK, and the last one held across the entire island, the handful of Irish Parliamentary Party MPs declined to attend, while Unionists MPs opted to travel to London.
Tragically, 21 January also marks the day when the first shots were fired in what would become the War of Independence.
The Government's commemorative programme for the period from 2019 to 2023, pledges to focus on remembrance and reconciliation while acknowledging all those who lost their lives during the War of Independence and the Civil War.
One hundred years on, the border will also be the focus of discussion in the Dáil this week as TDs and Senators prepare to pass emergency legislation to deal with the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.
As the centenary approaches of the Government of Ireland Act, which effectively created the border in 1920, the Dáil will be grappling with 45 pieces of legislation which would be required to manage life along what would become an EU-UK border.
Meanwhile, the Houses of the Oireachtas have organised a special joint sitting of both the Dáil and Seanad today as part of a special anniversary ceremony in the Round Room of the Mansion House, where a collective motion will be heard that recommits to the ideals of parliamentary democracy. .
The three-part ceremony will open with a keynote address by President Michael D Higgins, followed by a display of re-enactments of the formation of the first Dáil.
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl - who will open the joint sitting of the Dáil and the Seanad - said the first public meeting of Dáil Éireann was a seminal moment in Irish history and was intended to show the world that Ireland was moving from the military revolution of 1916 to a parliamentary revolution.
"The sitting was staged with a view to conveying Irish self-determination to the world, as well as to enshrine the ideals of the Declaration of Independence in Dáil Éireann, ideals of which we can still be proud."
A special programme to mark the event 'The Centenary Commemoration of the first Dáil' will be broadcast on RTÉ One 3.25pm presented by David McCullagh and with live commentary from the Mansion House ceremony from Áine Lawlor.
