A spray of white Easter lilies rested on the Tricolour-draped wicker coffin. A wreath of green, white and orange carnations studded with more Easter lilies was carried into the chapel.

Put to her that previous taoisigh have not attended events to commemorate the Provisional IRA she said: “Well, they show up on Easter ... their poppy or because somebody wears their Easter Lily.

The Easter lily, of course, is the plant that has come to symbolize the Easter season. The Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum , is native to the Ryukyu Islands off the southern end of Japan.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts. For flower lovers who thought the traditional white Easter lily had ...