Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brophy for raising this very important issue. I extend the apologies of the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Ring, who is unavoidably detained elsewhere and so asked me to help out this evening.

The Great Famine was undoubtedly one of the most significant events in this island's history. The failure of the potato crop during the 1840s not only led to enormous suffering and loss of life but also changed Ireland's demographic and cultural landscape. The effects of this change can still be felt today. In order to appropriately remember the victims of hunger and disease and those who had to leave to make a new life abroad during those tragic years, a Government decision was taken in 2008 to commemorate the Great Irish Famine with an annual national Famine memorial day. As part of that process, the national Famine commemoration committee was also established to consider the most appropriate arrangements for the annual national commemoration of the Great Famine.

The committee, which is chaired by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is made up of representatives from the following: the Department of Education and Skills; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; the Department of Defence; the Defence Forces; the Department of the Taoiseach; Irish Aid; and aid agencies; as well as historians and other interested parties. The general legacy of emigration, cultural loss and the decline of the Irish language, together with the specific issues of food security and the strong commitment of the Irish people to humanitarian aid and relief, are particular themes that have been explored by the committee in the course of its work. The Minister has been impressed by the knowledge, compassion and commitment the committee members bring to their work in commemorating the Irish Famine and in raising awareness of current hunger issues in the world today.

The national Famine commemoration is the centrepiece of the committee's commemorative work in relation to the Famine. The commemoration is a significant State ceremonial event, usually led by the President or An Taoiseach, and attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, public representatives and other dignitaries. The ceremony itself is comprised of two parts, opening with activities that have local community involvement and culminating in the formal State commemoration, which includes the national flag, military honours and wreath-laying ceremonies. The event is open to the public and takes place at a site which is significant to the Great Irish Famine.

In choosing a location for the national Famine commemoration, the committee has adopted the approach of rotating the location of the annual commemoration in sequence between the four provinces, in recognition of the fact that the Great Famine affected all parts of the island. The first commemoration took place in Dublin in 2008 and the commemoration has now visited all four provinces twice. Both the committee and the Department have worked with each of the host communities in Skibbereen, Murrisk, Clones, Drogheda, Kilrush, Strokestown, Newry and Dublin to appropriately commemorate and raise awareness of the suffering which took place during the Famine in these areas and elsewhere.

In relation to the call for a fixed date for the Famine commemoration ceremony, I understand this matter has been discussed by the national Famine commemoration committee. While the initial aspirations of the committee were to hold the ceremony on the second Sunday of May each year, it was always apparent that a degree of flexibility was necessary for a number of reasons. For example, the availability of the President, or An Taoiseach, to lead the official representation at the commemoration has been a factor in deciding upon the date of the State ceremony. The host venue and community have also been consulted in relation to proposed dates to cater for particular circumstances which may arise around the arrangements and to allow organisers to develop a fitting programme of locally organised events, many of which have been tied in with dates of important local significance. To illustrate, in 2015 the commemoration was held in September due to organisational matters which arose as a result of the staging of the event for the first time in Northern Ireland. The event, which was held in Newry, County Down, proved to be a great success, with significant cross-communityrepresentation.

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