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

That a date for the national Famine commemoration ceremony is not fixed does not in any way lessen its importance. On the contrary, it is the level of importance which is accorded to ensuring the commemoration befits the enormity of the event it commemorates and the scale of the losses those events entailed which dictate its flexibility in the schedule. Commemorating events of such magnitude demands that our national commemoration be of the highest standard and the recommendations and decisions of the national Famine commemoration committee guide the Department's actions in this regard. First and foremost, the national Famine commemoration should be a fitting memorial to the vast swathes of our population lost to death and emigration both nationally and locally in the host community. Achieving this goal as well as the other goals of the committee in terms of community, local and youth participation in the commemoration, highlighting the historical perspective of the event and communicating issues around famine, hunger, food security and aid in the modern world requires a great deal of planning and work both by the Department and the organising committee in the year concerned. This, allied to the fact that, unlike other commemorations, the national Famine commemoration does not take place at a fixed site each year, increases the level of complexity associated with the event and necessitates that flexibility be maintained to ensure the commemoration meets the goals set for it and achieves the level of public attention it demands.

I ask the Deputy and other interested parties to take into account the very legitimate reasons for the schedule of the commemoration and to work to help to deliver what promises to be a wonderfully moving commemoration at Glasnevin cemetery on 11 September. I understand that everybody in the Oireachtas has been invited and I hope as many as possible will attend

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