Singer Eddi Reader has strongly criticised people who suggested she should hand back her MBE for her part in Scottish commemorations to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising which marked the beginning of the end of British rule in Ireland.

On a gathering of 40 people including the former Fairground Attraction singer will met at the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh to launch the 1916 Rising Centenary Committee (Scotland) and begin planning for next year's events which will feature music, theatre, poetry, lectures, workshops and publications.

The Easter Rising was an armed insurrection in Ireland in Easter Week on 24 April 1916 mounted by Irish republicans who wanted to end British rule.

The British army quickly suppressed the rebellion, leading to an unconditional surrender on Saturday April 29.

Support for independence continued to increase until the 1918 general election when republicans won 73 out of the 105 seats.

Ireland's Consul General to Scotland Pat Bourne is expected to speak at Tuesday's two hour launch which will be attended by relatives of Scottish based participants in the Easter Rising.

It will conclude with an exhibition of material related to the 1916 Easter Rising relating to Seamus Reader who played a part in organising support in Scotland for activists.

He is the great-uncle of Eddi Reader who will present the exhibition. Two years ago the former Fairground Attraction singer unearthed maunscripts, a Saltire flag and two moth-eaten sets of bagpipes when she went to clear the Dublin home of his only song.

Seamus Reader was a close associate of James Connolly who became head of the Scottish Brigade of the old IRA when the Irish War of Independence broke out in 1919.

Ms Reader, who has multiple Brit Awards to her name, strongly criticised some on Twitter who attacker her involvement.

One Twitter user told her: "She has brought shame on her MBE and should return it forthwith. Say NO to Sectarianism in Scotland."

Another said: "I hope that, when we have our own honours system, you return the gong to the bigoted imperialists."

Another said: "You'll find @eddireader has never been able to hide her preference for the darker side of Irish republicanism."

But Ms Reader hit back: "Why are you trying to abuse me.. I'm a total stranger to you.. It's creepy.

"Only in Scotland can someone be offended by others wanting to acknowledge a part of Ireland's history.

"Just to emphasise how wrong it is to assume that only Irish Catholics wanted social revolution."

She added: "Why do you ASSUME I am a supporter of terrorism.. I'm not.

"It's only foolish people who assume that because others want ownership of what's theirs then they must be violent."

The 1916 Rising Centenary Committee (Scotland) want to commemorate the contingent of Glasgow-based members of the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan which is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation and Na Fianna Éireann, the nationalist youth organisation who crossed to Ireland to participate in the 1916 Rising.

In particular, they want to highlight the key role played by James Connolly, the Edinburgh born commander-in-chief of the republican forces who was executed by a British firing squad for his role in the Easter Rising.

Willy Maley, professor of English literature at Glasgow University, who will chair tomorrow's launch said: "The plan is to have a series of cultural of events connecting with academic and Irish communities in Scotland and the wider community about this important moment in history.

"It was a failed uprising but one people would say sowed the seeds of Irish independence.

"The three members of the committee are very non-sectarian and anti-sectarian, I mean I was brought up a protestant although I am a Celtic supporter.

"We don't want to uncritically celebrate 1916. We want to examine and explore the different connections."

A publication is being proposed to record the significant part played by the Glasgow based Irish Volunteers in the lead up to and during the Easter Rising.

There are plans to establish the whereabouts of the members of the contingent from Scotland, following the surrender and deportations to English prisons, before their incarceration in Frongoch internment camp in Wales.

They also want to raise awareness of the 197 prisoners from the west of Ireland who were deported to Scotland and incarcerated in Barlinnie and Perth Prisons.

There are plans for seminars to educate the wider public about the key role of Irish revolutionaries in Scotland in the lead up to and during the Easter Rising.

They hope this will include support from sections of the Irish community, and some Scottish nationalists and socialists.