Mr. Michael Blanch:

Deputy John Curran stepped in for the Deputy on the day. With reference to the Department, it could be argued that community involvement is the reason there is an attempt to erase the record of the inaugural event at the Customs House in 2008. On 21 May the Taoiseach said in the Dáil that a community event was happening on that day. He did not mention the CCIFV; he just referred to a community group. In 2016 six weeks notice was given to the people of Ireland by the National Famine Commemoration Committee of the event to be held in Glasnevin Cemetery. There was no community involvement. Do we have to expunge that commemoration as only six weeks notice was given and the Dáil was in recess? The schools were only back one week, which is why they and the community were not involved at Glasnevin. We either expunge it from the list of National Famine Commemoration events in terms of the criteria laid down by the Department or we start to set the record straight from now on. As I said, if one goes to the primary source, the Taoiseach referred to it in the Dáil and the event took place at the Customs House in 2008 and it was not a figment of my imagination because I was there.