"National Famine Commemoration Day is a solemn opportunity for the people of this island to reflect on and recall those who perished, the suffering and loss experienced by our Irish people in that cataclysmic period in our history to which we refer as An Gorta Mór.

"No other event in our history can be likened to the Great Famine, either for its immediate, tragic impact, or its legacy of involuntary emigration, cultural loss, increased decline of the Irish language, and demoralisation.

"Of all the challenges that we face in our contemporary world, responding to global hunger and the vindication of the right to food security is one that is of paramount importance, a project under which we can all unite and work together to achieve.

"Surely we, the descendants of Famine survivors, should demand and work with others to ensure that no other people anywhere in the world shall ever experience such a calamity.

"In memory of all those who died during An Gorta Mór, may I repeat my plea that we all work together for lasting peace and for an end to global hunger and Famine."

"This is the first time that the National Famine Commemoration has taken place in Limerick. We come here today to honour and remember all those who suffered, perished and emigrated during or because of the Great Irish Famine.

"It is very fitting that the event is being held here in the grounds of Kilmallock Workhouse and next to the graveyard where so many of our forebears who died during this time, were laid to rest in a mass grave, neighbour with neighbour.

"The Famine has shaped our country, our towns, communities and our landscapes. But it has also shaped us as a people; we are defined as a nation for our spirit of empathy, generosity and compassion- especially to all those who are suffering from hunger, disease and poverty today. The people of Gaza, Sudan, areas of South Sudan, Haiti and Mali; we stand with these communities. This is the only way that we can truly honour the victims of the past."

"It is an honour for Limerick to be hosting the National Famine Commemoration for this year. Kilmallock is a particularly appropriate place to hold the commemoration, as the Famine Memorial Park, where the commemoration event will be taking place, is actually the burial ground of several thousand victims of the Famine.

"County Limerick is a most appropriate and poignant location for commemorating this most tragic episode in the history of our nation. Our county suffered immensely from the effects of the Great Famine. Commemorating the Great Famine there affords us the opportunity to solemnly remember the tragedy of that time.

"It’s incredibly important that we carry with us this act of remembrance, which is a promise to carry compassion forward as we shape our future. It also gives us a chance to reflect on how far we have travelled as a county and as a nation since, along with how far we have to go. The Commemoration is a reminder that across the globe, many families still suffer from Famine. We as a global community need to continue to act."

---

Notes