The British government is considering sending a donation to a memorial in Liverpool to commemorate the victims of the Great Famine, following a request by the former shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Mr Kevin McNamara.
In Dublin yesterday Mr Eamonn O'Doherty, the sculptor of the memorial, said he would be "absolutely delighted to learn the funding is in place".
"A donation from the British government would be a welcome recognition of the importance of this tragedy to the Irish people," he said.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, Mr McNamara said a donation would be an "act of reconciliation and acknowledgement of the hurt that was caused in those terrible years".
In his reply, Mr Blair said it was important to recognise the "distress and suffering" caused by the Famine. "We should also recognise the positive aspects of the relationship between Ireland and Britain, of which the Irish community in Britain is an important one."
Mr O'Doherty said yesterday that the donation would be "an official recognition of the feelings of Irish people about this tragedy, which is something people frequently bring up when talking about the historical relationship between the two countries".
Mr O'Doherty, who comes from Northern Ireland, studied architecture at University College Dublin. His works include the Anna Livia statue in O'Connell Street, Dublin, the Golden Tree outside the Central Bank, and the James Connolly memorial opposite Liberty Hall. He said the Liverpool project, which would cost about £20,000, had been held up by a lack of funding. The memorial would comprise a column of Irish granite combined with a bronze emblem of St Brigid's Cross.
Mr McNamara said this week that Mr Blair's support was a "positive move".
Downing Street declined to comment on the memorial, but it is understood that a British donation could match the Irish Government's gift of £5,000.