Under an overcast Dublin sky the Irish men and women who died in wars or on service with the United Nations were honoured at the annual national day of commemoration at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, yesterday. The President, Mrs McAleese, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, and the Fine Gael deputy leader, Mrs Nora Owen, were among an attendance which also included Ministers, TDs and senators, members of the Council of State, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the judiciary, and relatives of the 1916 leaders and those who died on UN service.
The ceremony began with an ecumenical prayer service, the readings reflecting the themes of reconciliation and peace. The chairman of the Dublin District of the Methodist Church, the Rev Thomas Kingston, read the prayer of remembrance.
Other readings and prayers were spoken by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev Walton Empey, the Catholic auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Dr Jim Moriarty, the Chief Rabbi, Dr Gavin Broder, and the Rev Keith McCrory of the Presbyterian Church. The hymns, sung by Bernadette Greevy and the RTE children's choir, Cor na nOg, under the direction of Ms Blanaid Murphy, included An tAiseiri and The Lord is My Shepherd. The Army No 1 Band, conducted by Comdt Joseph Ryan, provided the music. Following the service, the President placed a wreath at the National Day of Commemoration plaque on behalf of the people of Ireland. There was a minute's silence, the Last Post was sounded and the national flag was hoisted to full mast accompanied by a roll of drums.
Others at the ceremony included the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, the Attorney General, Mr David Byrne, former Taoiseach, Dr Garret FitzGerald, the Government Chief Whip, Mr Seamus Brennan, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr John Stafford, Fianna Fail TDs, Mr Conor Lenihan, Mr Dick Roche and Mr Pat Carey, the Superintendent of the Houses of the Oireachtas, Mr Eamonn O'Donoghue, former Tanaiste, Mr John Wilson, and former EU Commissioner, Mr Richard Burke.
