A Day of Remembrance and Commemoration- Sunday, May 13th

. THE ENDURANCE of the Famine by one generation of Irish people had provided vital knowledge and experience for another, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said yesterday.

Over 1,500 people took part in the National Famine Commemoration in Drogheda, Co Louth on Sunday May 13th.  The memorial included prayers for those who died as well as readings, music and military honours.  

Hundreds attended along with the Taoiseach and various ministers.

Members of the Little Duke Theatre in Drogheda performed a special dance and 

music was provided by harpist Michael O'Neill and the St Peter's Male Voice choir.

Emblems of the famine were on display including a potato, a soup kitchen ration card, a boat ticket to Liverpool and a small section of a thatched roof. 

Prayers were led by clerics from seven religions followed by a humanist reflection.

The Taoiseach said that part of the legacy of the famine is that Ireland has become a leading global advocate in the fight against hunger. In his speech, Mr Kenny said that for Irish people nowadays food security and humanitarian aid are not just political matters. He said we make them our personal business because they run so deep in the Irish heart. He said it is that generational memory that supports Irish Aid and all aid agencies to bring not just food, but hope, self-reliance and dignity across the developing world.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0513/taoiseach-to-attend-famine-memorial-in-drogheda.html