REMEMBERANCE Sunday services across Northern Ireland were led by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in Enniskillen.
Belfast Lord Mayor, Sinn Féin’s Ryan Murphy, attended the ceremony at City Hall while in the west of the city some of his party colleagues joined a pro-Palestinian protest.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Murphy said: “Today I attended a remembrance service to remember and pay my respects to those from every part of our island who lost their lives in World War I. This is an important day of reflection for many people on the island. We all know the cost of conflict, & the value of peace.”
In Dublin, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald attended a service at St Patrick’s Cathedral that was organised by the Royal British Legion.
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Others laying wreaths in Enniskillen included the PSNI’s new Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, the head of the Northern Ireland civil service Jayne Brady as well as the Lord-Lieutenant for Co Fermanagh, Lord Brookborough.
It has now been an annual tradition for the Taoiseach to lay a wreath in Enniskillen after the former Irish leader Enda Kenny first did so in 2012.
His attendance had marked the 25th anniversary of an IRA bombing at the memorial in 1987 – which eventually killed 12 people - and also signalled a greater recognition from the Irish government for Irish soldiers who fought and died serving in the British Army during the First World War.
Speaking on Sunday, Mr Heaton-Harris said: “It is an honour to be here in Enniskillen. We’re here to remember the fallen from World Wars one and two, from the various battles and conflicts that we’ve had, and to remember the Poppy Day bomb as well and all the families that suffered.”
Frank Feighan from Mr Varadkar’s party, Fine Gael, said the tradition had changed attitudes in Ireland.
“We have to have an agreed Ireland, we have to respect histories that are different but sometimes unite us as well. I felt that 15-20 years ago in the Republic, that we didn’t pay that respect, that we didn’t remember the sacrifices of many men and women that came from our communities.
“I think that has changed in the last 10 or 15 years.”
In Dublin, Ms McDonald said: “This is an important day of reflection for many people on the island. Many Irishmen, from across all 32 counties, died in these conflicts, leaving a profound loss that continues to be felt in many families and communities to this day.
“It is important to recognise all that we share in common and to commemorate our shared history in a respective and inclusive way.
“Such reflections are also a timely reminder of the need for peaceful dialogue to end conflict around the world.”
