Minister Carey welcomes progress made in organising National Famine Memorial Event in Murrisk, Co. Mayo
Today (22/04/10), Pat Carey T.D. chaired his first meeting of the National Famine Memorial Committee in Government Buildings.
Speaking after the meeting he said:
“I am encouraged to see the amount of progress made by the Committee – both at national and local level – towards the development of a full programme of events for the National Famine Memorial Day in Murrisk, Co. Mayo on 16th May 2010. The general legacy of emigration, cultural loss and the decline of the Irish language together with the specific issues of food security and the strong commitment of the Irish people to humanitarian aid and relief are themes which are of vital importance today and I know that the Committee have explored these themes in detail in the preparation of the work programme”.
The West of Ireland, and County Mayo in particular, was one of the worst affected areas during the Great Famine and against this background the National Famine Commemoration Committee decided that the National Commemorative event in 2010 should be held in Murrisk, Co. Mayo, which is home to the National Famine Monument. A parallel international famine event will take place in New York during May in 2010 and a full programme of events is currently being developed in this regard.
This was the final meeting of the current Committee and it is expected that a new Committee will convene in the autumn. The Minister thanked all Committee members for their input throughout the last two years.
