Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. Does the Government plan to allocate any moneys to commemorate the Great Famine and its victims? Some rewriting of history is taking place at the moment but we are all agreed on the impact of the Famine on the psyche of the Irish people. I am aware the Taoiseach has received correspondence on the subject from the Famine commemoration committee, and that the Taoiseach's General Secretary, in a party capacity, wrote to Michael Blanch, the secretary of that committee, to state that Fianna Fáil was in favour of the idea being put forward. Does the Government have a position on the subject?

Along with the Famine, the most significant event in history were the land wars and the part played by the leadership of the Land League in the events associated with them, in particular Michael Davitt, the centenary of whose death is this year. What, if any, provision has been made to commemorate Michael Davitt? He was one of the most outstanding Irishmen this country has ever produced, a man of international reputation renowned for his work at Westminster as well as for founding the Land League.

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