A wreath-laying ceremony will take place in Dublin this morning to honour the 3,500 people who died in the Battle of the Somme.

The battle took place on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France in 1916 during the First World War.

The President and Taoiseach will attend the commemoration in the Irish National War Memorial Gardens this morning.

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Brendan Carr has said it is important to remember the people who died in the violence.

“There was thousands of Irish, there was over 3,500 Irish killed at this battle,” said Car.

“But, the battle wasn’t necessarily fighting for Britain or fighting for France. It was fighting an oppression coming in on top of Europe and it was in everyone’s interest that Europe was kept a free zone from this kind of oppression.

“So that what Ireland were doing – they contributed very well, very bravely and it’s important that we remember those people.”