Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brophy for bringing forward the Bill. He is very passionate about it and has raised the issue on an ongoing basis through Topical Issues and parliamentary questions. I also acknowledge the contribution of the other speakers who have participated in the Debate. I want to make it very clear to Deputy Tóibín that the Sinn Féin Bill was not selected from the Private Members' business lottery and, therefore, it was never debated in a Private Members' business slot. I never had the opportunity to reject or accept his Bill.

The national Famine commemoration should be a fitting memorial to the vast swathes of our population who were lost to death and emigration. It is estimated that up to 1 million people died and another million emigrated during the Famine years. The Famine, therefore, had a profound and devastating impact on every part of the country and this should be reflected in the national commemoration. Achieving this goal - as well as the other objectives of the national Famine commemoration committee in terms of local community participation, highlighting the historical perspective of the event and communicating issues surrounding famine, hunger, food security and aid in the modem world - requires a great deal of planning and work. My Department has received a number of proposals from communities wishing to be considered as hosts for this year's national Famine memorial day. Department officials have been on contact with the relevant local authorities and we will shortly revert to the national Famine commemoration committee subgroup. A full meeting of the committee will be held to confirm the venue for the 2017 event. It is likely that this year's event will be scheduled for either Sunday, 1 October, or Sunday, 8 October. It will be decided in consultation with the local community where the venue will be located.

The first national Famine commemoration to include both local input and a formal State ceremony was held in Skibbereen in 2009. Since then, the event has been held annually in a similar format right across the country including many different locations. Deputy Eugene Murphy mentioned Strokestown. I had the pleasure of visiting the Irish National Famine Museum in Strokestown, which is a wonderful addition to the town. One of the strengths of the national Famine commemoration is the fact that the event has been held in a different location and community every year. When the commemoration was held in my home town, Clones, in 2011, it was a source of enormous pride for the local community and all of County Monaghan. While many of the State ceremonial events are traditionally held in Dublin, it is important that we do not lose the local community involvement which is unique to the national Famine commemoration.

The international Famine commemoration has also been held in a variety of locations including Toronto, Quebec and the US. This event has been consistently successful not only in terms of commemoration but also in providing a locus for the coming together of the Irish community and diaspora abroad. The national Famine commemoration committee was established in July 2008 to oversee the arrangements for the commemoration. The committee, which I chair, includes representatives of number of Government Departments including the Departments of the Taoiseach, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade and Education and Skills, as well as the Office of Public Works, academics and representatives of NGOs and the philanthropic sector who give freely of their time on a voluntary basis.

While the national Famine commemoration committee has endeavoured to hold the ceremony on the second Sunday of May each year, it has been the experience to date that a degree of flexibility has been beneficial for a number of reasons. For example, the availability of the President or Taoiseach to lead the official representation at the commemoration has been a factor in deciding upon the date of the State ceremony. The importance the Government attaches to the event has been signalled by the level of support demonstrated by an tUachtarán and an Taoiseach in making themselves available to preside at the annual commemoration. Each year, the host venue and community have also been consulted on 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 further illustrate this point, following consultation with the host community in Newry, the 2015 commemoration was held in September. This was the first time the commemoration was held in Northern Ireland and it proved to be a great success with significant cross-community representation. It would not have been possible to hold the ceremony in May of that year given that the local authority had prior commitments regarding the delivery of a major sporting event at that time. Similarly, last year’s commemoration was held in Glasnevin Cemetery in early October due to the volume of events under the 2016 commemorative programme held in April and May. The 2015 commemoration in Northern Ireland had no military involvement. Including a statutory requirement for the inclusion of military ceremonial elements, as proposed by the Bill, could create difficulties for organisers in future years. The religious component of the 2015 commemoration was significantly reduced by agreement with the local organisers. This demonstrates the value of retaining some flexibility and discretion for the national Famine committee in the organisation of each year’s event in collaboration with local interests and concerns.

The proposal that the Taoiseach would designate a central venue for the holding of the annual commemoration is also a potential cause for concern. As I have already outlined, a particular feature of the commemoration since 2009 has been that it is largely a community event in which local communities and interested parties took the lead in organising events that represented their own historic experiences of the famine. Designating a single venue for future commemorations could result in the loss of this unique aspect of the commemoration.

I am conscious that the question of establishing a fixed date for the national Famine commemoration has been raised by a number of Deputies across all parties. Fixing a date for the annual commemoration is a matter to which I have given consideration in recent months. While recognising that it could pose some challenges, I am of the view that these could be overcome. Fixing the date for the Famine commemoration will illustrate that the State views it as a very important commemoration for Irish people and our diaspora to reflect on that terrible period in our history and remember the horrific impact it had on this island and its people. By fixing a date, we are saying, without hesitation, that the Famine has left an indelible mark on Ireland, and can never be forgotten. As I have already illustrated, it is important that particular care is taken in the selection of such a date.

Deputies Brophy and Ó Snodaigh alluded to the importance of educating our children, not just on the Irish Famine but also in respect of the issue of world hunger, which persists today. That is a very important point. There is some good work going on in our education system in this regard. For example, the vast majority of primary and junior certificate students study the Famine, in local and national contexts, at an age appropriate level, in history. Our children and young people learn about modern famine, poverty and the challenges of developing countries through social, personal and health education, civic, social and political education, geography and a range of other subjects.

As recently as last December the Department of Education and Skills hosted a very successful national forum on education for sustainable development and was lauded for its efforts by a representative from UNESCO. That is an example of some of the positive work that is going on in the Department of Education and Skills and we should look to build on that.

I reiterate that I am happy to support the reading of the Bill on Second Stage and I look forward to working with Deputy Brophy and others to ensure the necessary work is done to ensure the benefits of setting a fixed date are fully realised before the Bill proceeds further.

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