We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Updated at 7.53pm
THE SOUTH AFRICAN President Jacob Zuma has confirmed Nelson Mandela will be afforded a state funeral to take place Sunday week, 15 December.
Mandela is to lie in state at the seat of government, the Union Buildings in Pretoria, between next Wednesday and Friday, he added. The political icon is to be laid to rest in his home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape.
South Africa has declared a period of mourning all next week, beginning on Sunday with a “national day of prayer and reflection”.
Áras an Uachtarain has confirmed tonight that President Michael D Higgins will fly out for the State Memorial Service, to be be held in Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium on Tuesday.
The White House also confirmed US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle will travel to South Africa in the coming days to pay their respects.
Press Secretary Jay Carney said they would “participate in memorial events” for the iconic leader, who died yesterday at the age of 95.
Political leaders, royalty and famous figures from the worlds of music, sports and entertainment are expected to travel to South Africa in the coming days ahead of what’s likely to be one of the most important funerals of recent decades.
Jimmy Burns from Sandyford signs the book of condolence for former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela at the Mansion House [Photocall Ireland]
There was a steady stream of people turning out at the Mansion House in Dublin today, where Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn opened a book of condolence to mark Mandela’s passing.
The book will be open again tomorrow and on Sunday, between 10am and 5pm. It will then be moved and opened at the South African Ambassador’s Residence at Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge.
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin will also open a book of condolence tomorrow. The Cathedral is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 10.30am and 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Sunday.
A book of condolence has also been opened at City Hall in Cork. In Limerick, books are open at County Hall in Dooradoyle and at City Hall on Merchant’s Quay.
International reaction
The news of Mandela’s death was featured on all the front pages around the world, while messages of tribute flooded in from international statesmen such as Obama, David Cameron, and President Michael D Higgins.
From Beijing to Kiev to London, members of the public offered spontaneous celebrations of Mandela’s life to sit alongside official displays of mourning.
A statue of Mandela outside the British parliament was the focus for one of the biggest tributes, while mourners left floral offerings at South African embassies around the globe in a sign of his far-reaching influence.
People also left South Africa scarves, candles and portraits at the foot of the huge bronze statue. One woman taped a picture of Mandela to the stone plinth next to where his name is carved.
One card read: “Thank you for the sacrifices you made for all of us”, while another said: “May God shine light on your homecoming in heaven. Rest in Peace Mr Mandela.”
London Mayor Boris Johnson declared that the square was “now a garden of remembrance for those wanting to leave floral tributes.”
Hundreds of people lined up to pay tributes at South Africa House, the country’s embassy in London, which sits on the corner of the famed Trafalgar Square.
Half mast
Many countries, such as Government Buildings in Dublin, ordered their flags to be flown at half mast, as did the European Union in Brussels.
Flags are flown at half mast at Leinster House today [Niall Carson/PA Images]
In Ukraine, where protesters angered by the government’s decision to reject a historic deal with the EU have taken over the main square in Kiev, one demonstrator hailed Mandela’s influence.
“For Ukraine he is a symbol of democracy and equality between all nations and races. He was a major figure, we respect him,” said Viktor, 58.
In the Chinese capital Beijing, people left huge wreaths of flowers outside the South African embassy. College students also left bunches of yellow flowers by a photo of Mandelaset up in Hengyang, central Hunan province.
In Paris, an enormous portrait of Mandela was displayed on the facade of the Quai d’Orsay, the palatial 19th-century building that houses the French foreign ministry on the banks of the River Seine.
Floral tributes were also left in front of South African embassies in Brussels and the Australian capital Canberra.
Additional reporting Daragh Brophy and - © AFP, 2013
Originally posted 2.25pm
Nelson Mandela: Prisoner, president and father of ‘Rainbow Nation’
President Higgins: ‘A tower of inspiration for all those struggling for justice’
In pictures: Mandela’s Irish visits
Nelson Mandela: A life in pictures
Obama: “He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say