A soldier was seen talking and laughing on his mobile phone during the filming of the preparation of the laying of the wreath by President Michael D Higgins outside the GPO.
The image soon went viral on social media with some finding it amusing while others were outraged at what they described to be “disrespectful”.
A spokesperson for the military said the officer was simply doing his job.
The spokesperson said the soldier was put in charge of dealing with the media and he was talking to a journalist (not from The Liberal) at the time.
A spokesperson said he was handling a query from a journalist when the picture was taken. He also dismissed the idea that his actions were out of line. “The officer in the picture is a member of the Defence Forces Press Office and was taking a call from the media at the time as part of his duties,” a spokesperson said.
“He is positioned in the Media position in front of the GPO and was tasked with providing the media with information about our participation in the events.”