Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy also asked why responsibility for the commemoration is with my Department. My Department hosts the national famine commemoration day each year. As the Deputy mentioned, the commemoration was established in 2008, with the secretariat to the committee provided by the then Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The secretariat role and responsibility for organising the national famine commemoration has remained with my Department since then. On 1 May 2018, the Government approved the designation of the third Sunday of May each year as National Famine Commemoration Day. The arrangements for the holding of the commemoration on this day or the preceding Saturday is decided each year following consultation with the relevant local authority and host community. The commemoration takes place in each province on a rotating basis.

This year it will be held in Milford, County Donegal next Sunday, 21 May. The commemoration, which will be open to the public, will be presided over by the President and will include military honours and a wreath laying ceremony. The national famine commemoration is an opportunity for the State and communities to honour the memory of those who were lost to death and emigration due to the Great Famine. The location of the annual commemoration is usually announced in early spring each year. However, the planning and preparation with the relevant stakeholders begins some time before the official announcement.

The national famine commemoration committee, which I Chair, has responsibility for considering and developing appropriate arrangements for annual national commemorations of the famine. Membership of the committee includes a range of parties, including representatives of relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, as well as individuals with a particular interest or expertise in relevant issues.

With respect to the Deputy Lahart's question on the plaque, officials from my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the OPW have agreed to the placement of a plaque in the Custom House visitors' centre to commemorate the first meeting of the national famine commemoration committee in 2008. It is expected it will be installed in the coming weeks.

See this speech in context