VICTIMS OF the Famine will be remembered in ceremonies on the annual commemoration day in Co Monaghan on September 10th.
The date was announced yesterday by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan. The event will be held in Clones, which was among the hardest-hit areas during the Famine. The population of Co Monaghan and neighbouring parts of Fermanagh dropped by one-third between 1841 and 1851.
The local Co Monaghan communities will be prominently involved in this year’s commemoration.
There will be a formal State ceremonial event led by President Mary McAleese. This will include military honours and wreath-laying ceremonies.
Mr Deenihan said: “President McAleese’s involvement . . . shows the deep respect and honour that the Irish nation has for the victims of the Great Famine.”
The event would be a “fitting tribute to those that perished many years ago but who will not be forgotten”, he added.
The event is organised by the National Famine Commemoration Committee.
