Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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587. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when a decision will be made regarding the location of the Famine commemoration to be held in May 2015; and if she will confirm whether it will be held in Newry, County Down. [43002/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 585 and 587 together.

The location of the National Famine Commemoration rotates between the four provinces of Ireland and in 2015 is due to take place in Ulster. Preparations for the 2015 event are overseen by the National Famine Commemoration Committee, which I chair.

The main objective of the Committee is to ensure that all victims of the Great Irish Famine are remembered in an appropriate manner. The National Famine Commemoration is, and will remain, an inclusive event, which recognises the significant impact of the famine on all communities on the island of Ireland. In that regard, our main objective is to ensure that the 2015 event will be a fitting tribute to those who perished in Ulster during the Great Famine and my Department continues to work with the key stakeholders, North and South, within that framework.

I hope it will be possible for a definitive decision to be made shortly in relation to the location and associated arrangements for 2015.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Any decision in relation to an exhibition in Collins' Barracks, Dublin 7 is an operational matter for the National Museum of Ireland. However, the National Famine Commemoration Committee, which I chair, has considered the possibility of exhibiting a collection dedicated to the Irish Famine. The Committee was given to understand that much of the evidence relating to the Great Famine is statistical and pictorial and that there is insufficient material to support a dedicated exhibition as there are very limited numbers of artefacts that could be exhibited. There are of course many local museums and other entities around the country that include displays relating to the Famine period. The Irish National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park, Co Roscommon, is an excellent example of such initiatives.