IRISH church leaders joined their voices on Saturday in renewing a peace pledge to mark the 25th anniversary of the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, Belgium.
The park was opened in 1998 as a memorial to the 200,000 soldiers from the island of Ireland who fought with the British Army in World War I, and the estimated 35,000 who lost their lives.
It was developed on the back of work of former Donegal Fine Gael TD Paddy Harte and Derry man Glenn Barr, a former UDA leader turned peace activist.
They were moved to create a lasting memorial to the First World War and to the Troubles after visiting the Somme in 1996.
The park was officially unveiled two years later by then Irish President Mary McAleese, Queen Elizabeth II and King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians.
The replica Irish round tower stands close to the site of the June 1917 battle of Messines Ridge, during which the 16th (Irish) Division fought alongside the 36th (Ulster) Division.
Church leaders Renewing Peace pledge at Island of Ireland Peace Park opened 25 years ago today #Messines #Belgium #remembrance pic.twitter.com/P8E70LXr06
— Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) November 11, 2023
Mr Barr died in 2017, while Mr Harte passed away the following year.
Relatives of both men returned to the site on Saturday, where they read the peace pledge first made when the park was opened in 1998.
The same pledge was also read by the leaders of the four main Irish churches: Catholic Primate Archbishop Eamon Martin; Moderator of the Presbyterian Church Dr John Kirkpatrick; Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop John McDowell; and President of the Methodist Church Rev David Turtle.
A video of the reading was posted on social media by Archbishop Eamon Martin.
The event was also attended by Education Minister Norma Foley, who represented the Irish Government; parliamentary under-secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Lord Caine, who represented the UK government; and Jayne Brady, who represented the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Speaking after the service, Ms Foley said: “The Island of Island Peace Park was inspired by Paddy Harte, a former Irish politician, who had been asked by an elderly neighbour to find the grave of his brother who had died in World War One.
“He fulfilled that promise by discovering the grave of Henry Taylor, a 21-year old man from Lifford in Donegal, during a private visit to the battlefields.
“And he worked tirelessly with Glen Barr, a prominent loyalist leader, to develop the Peace Park in memory of fallen soldiers like Henry Taylor from across the Island of Ireland.
“The presence of representatives of Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of the peace park, attests to the power of this place to continue to inspire us all to strive for peace and reconciliation."
The event also saw young people from both sides of the Irish border join with others from England, Wales, Ukraine, Germany, Australia and New Zealand in reading a new peace pledge in the hope of inspiring the spirit of reconciliation across generations.
Original Peace Pledge - Paddy Harte & Glen Barr
“From the crest of this ridge - which was the scene of terrific carnage in the First World War on which we have built a peace park and Round Tower to commemorate the thousands of young men from all parts of Ireland who fought a common enemy, defended democracy and the rights of all nations, whose graves are in shockingly uncountable numbers and those who have no graves, we condemn war and the futility of war. We repudiate and denounce violence, aggression, intimidation, threats and unfriendly behaviour.
"As Protestants and Catholics, we apologise for the terrible deeds we have done to each other and ask forgiveness. From this sacred shrine of remembrance, where soldiers of all nationalities, creeds and political allegiances were united in death, we appeal to all people in Ireland to help build a peaceful and tolerant society. Let us remember the solidarity and trust that developed between Protestant and Catholic Soldiers when they served together in these trenches.
"As we jointly thank the armistice of 11 November 1918 – when the guns fell silent along this western front - we affirm that a fitting tribute to the principles for which men and women from the Island of Ireland died in both World Wars would be permanent peace.”
