Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the involvement of the Defence Forces in the commemoration of the First World War as we approach the centenary on 28 July. I acknowledge the sacrifice of 754 men from Galway and 720 men from Mayo who died in that conflict. It is only in recent years that there has been an attempt to remember the sacrifice that was made and the different reasons people fought, including for the rights of small nations following the invasion in Belgium. The Minister mentioned the peace park in Messines and I was delighted to be able to visit it a number of years ago. There is also a nice exhibition in Galway City Museum. It is a poignant tribute to those who died and fought in the war.

The Minister mentioned the events planned and I have looked at a number of the websites, including the decade of centenaries website and the websites of the Department of Defence and the Irish Defence Forces. I am not saying there is nothing on the Defence Forces website, but it is hard to find it. There should be some acknowledgement of the events. Also, on the decade of centenaries website, the First World War section is blank. The home page provides a list of what has happened over the last number of months but little information on what is planned. The Minister might be able to ask his Department and the other Department to examine that.

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