Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to everyone involved in the 2016 Remembrance Day ceremonies in Northern Ireland and the Republic to commemorate those soldiers who fought in the First World War. Some 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians lost their lives in the four-year war.This is a stark reminder of the personal price paid and ultimate sacrifice made by individuals and families. As 49,500 of those killed on the battlegrounds of Europe were Irish men, the loss was deeply felt across Ireland, not just in the United Kingdom. It also serves as a reminder to us that the seeds of division in the future are sown when a war is entered and the Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars. There had never before been a war of its type in terms trench warfare and people being slaughtered on battlefields. The treaty the arose from the First World War was a significant contributory factor to the Second World War. The commemorative events should serve to strengthen our resolve to ensure war will not be seen as the way forward.

Will the Leader raise with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys, the possibility of directing decade of centenaries funding towards local communities for the erection of monuments to people from the locality killed in the First World War? I pay tribute to the many communities throughout the country who have held such ceremonies. A total of 154 people from Ballina and the surrounding area lost their lives during the First World War. There were many casualties in the Connacht Rangers. My point is that up to now most of the commemorative ceremonies have been held in Dublin and elsewhere in Europe. While I understand the reason for this, there is need for recognition of all of the communities that were affected and paid a price and which up to now have been written out of history. As I said, a commemorative ceremony was held in Ballina, but many people from Foxford and other towns in the west also lost their lives. I ask the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister to ensure proper recognition of the totality of Irish people who died in the First World War.