Minister honoured to attend Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, TD, will attend a Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Belfast, this Sunday where she will lay a laurel wreath, to remember those who died in the First World War.
The Minister will be joined by the British Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, Mr Tobias Ellwood MP, as well as the Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister.
Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday commemorations will take place across the island of Ireland this weekend, including ceremonies in Belfast and Enniskillen in Northern Ireland and in St Patrick’s Cathedral and Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Speaking in advance of the ceremony, Minister Humphreys said she was honoured to commemorate all of those who died during World War I.
"This weekend we will remember in a special way the men and women from across the island of Ireland, who served and gave their lives during World War I.
"Although inspired by different motivations, they all shared the harsh uncertainties of war and the trauma of the battlefield as well as the enduring hope of a safe return to their loved ones. We remember too their families and the grief and hardship that they endured.”
Minister Humphreys has also announced a funding allocation of €25,000 to support The Hill 70 Memorial Project - a significant commemorative Canadian World War I initiative.
The Minister also announced a funding allocation of €10,000 to support ‘A Broken Tree’, a celebration of the life and work of Lance Corporal Francis Ledwidge, the poet, Irish volunteer and soldier, who died in the Battle of Passchendaele on 31st July 1917.
This special seminar and concert have been curated by the renowned composer and member of Aosdána, Michael Holohan and take place in partnership with the National Library and the National Gallery on Saturday, 11th November. Admission to both events is free.
Reacting Michael Holohan said the concert is particularly significant for him.
"Michael McGlynn and I revisited Ledwidge’s work in the 1980s and 1990s, which generated significant momentum in reviving interest among composers in Ledwidge as a poet.”
