Remembering

The commemoration stone at Warrenpoint Dock marks the spot were thousands of people escaped the misery of the famine to face an unknown future across the seas.

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that the 2015 Famine Commemoration will take place on Saturday, 26th September, in Newry, County Down. In recognition of the fact that the Great Famine affected all parts of the island, the location of the annual Commemoration has rotated in sequence between the four provinces since the first Commemoration took place in Dublin in 2008 and falls to Ulster in 2015.

Minister Humphrey's said:

"I am very pleased to announce that, following consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive, this year's famine Commemoration will be held in Newry. This is the eighth year in which the Great Famine has been marked with a formal Commemoration and the first time that the Commemoration will take place in Northern Ireland.

“In this Commemoration, we remember all those who suffered, those who died, those who survived but who lost family members, those who were forced to emigrate and those who remained in Ireland but suffered other forms of loss because of the Great Famine.

"I attended the Commemoration in 2011 when it was held in Clones, Co Monaghan – the last time it took place in Ulster. It was very moving to witness the involvement of the entire community in the event and in particular, the participation of children. I look forward to engaging with the local community in Newry, as they bring their unique perspective to remembering one of the most important events in our shared history, and as an Ulster woman, I look forward to participating in the event in Newry in September."

Coincidently, we recently read this book GALWAY BAY by Mary Pat Kelly which is the story of an Irish family that has been shaped by the traditional elements of Ireland in the decade leading up to the 1840's - the tales, music, humor, community, and religious practices--but that will also be irrevocably shaped by "the Great Hunger" - the potato famine and and it's inescapable suffering. Two sisters from this family will not only survive the famine but also emigrate to America to constitute a vital part of the American melting pot, and to forge new lives for themselves. One of these two sisters is Honora who, in the course of her life, will experience two love stories -- one in Ireland, and one in America. Check it out on Amazon