Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

There has been very active community involvement, both North and South, in the commemoration of the flight of the earls. They have just brought their 2007 commemoration to an end. There was an emphasis on the story at home, which is one of a time of change and progress in Europe. The Irish College in Louvain, where the earls found their initial refuge, and the history of the Franciscan scholar, Luke Wadding, were featured this year and will be featured next year. They managed to put a few of these together and I believe they are continuing that next year. I do not think it is a very big event.

In respect of the commemoration of the Great Famine, I think we agree it is appropriate to have an annual memorial. I was pressed here about it last year and earlier this year. There is no doubt about the significance of the Famine in history and our official commitment to humanitarian relief. I would like to make it a meaningful day rather than a day when nothing happens. If we could try to place it in the context of how we suffered from famine, the fact that others still suffer from famine, what we do as a country in respect of overseas development aid which involves one of the highest figures in the developed world and the fact that so many of our NGOs are modern-day missionaries and that lay people are now doing this work, it could be a worthwhile effort. I do not want it to start off and to become nothing very quickly. It requires a bit of thought. I hope the report will be available shortly. I think they were aiming to have it by the end of the year.

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