A CEREMONY to remember the victims of the Great Famine, one of the defining and darkest periods in Irish history, was held yesterday.
More than a million people in Ireland died of starvation and disease after the potato crop failed between 1845 and 1849.
By 1855, more than two million people had been forced to emigrate.
The National Famine Commemoration was hosted from Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, the biggest famine graveyard in the country.
President Michael D Higgins said An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger, had shaped not only Irish history but also land, migration and politics.
He added: "And as we meet, the threat of famine affects 34 million of our fellow global citizens today."
Culture Minister Catherine Martin described the Great Famine as "truly the darkest period of our history".
“Today’s ceremony is not only our opportunity to commemorate and honour the suffering and resilience of victims of the famine years but the occasion also offers us an opportunity to reflect on the resilience of our people today," she said.
"Ireland is beginning to emerge cautiously, but hopefully, from the clutches of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are moving from the shadows into the light, thanks to that steely determination of our people, whose strength this time will not be forgotten either."
She said Glasnevin Cemetery was a fitting venue to pay tribute to the victims of the Famine, especially this weekend, as Dublin Cemeteries Trust marked the anniversary of the death of its founder Daniel O’Connell who died in Genoa on May 15,1847.
"O’Connell was one of Ireland’s great parliamentarians. Indeed his last major act in the House of Commons in February 1847 was to make a powerful plea for relief for the victims of the famine," she added.
Minister Martin will also address the event.
