National Famine Commemoration 2024 Speech by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin

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Is onóir mhór domsa bheith anseo inniu i Meathas Troim, Co. an Longfoirt, thar ceann an Rialtais don chomóradh Stáit seo ar ócáid Chomóradh Náisiúnta an Ghorta Mhóir Fiche Fiche Ceathair agus fearaim fíor-chaoin fáilte romhaibh uile.

As Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, it is a great honour for me to welcome you all to this year's Commemoration here in Edgeworthstown.

I am especially pleased to acknowledge the Taoiseach Simon Harris, who will lead the official representation during today's event.

I would like to welcome His Excellency, The Most Reverend Luis Mariano Montemayor, Apostolic Nuncio and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, and the Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Colm Murray, who will both participate in today’s Wreath laying ceremony.

The choice of Longford for today’s event is a particularly appropriate one, as the many facets of the Famine’s terrible impact and its legacy were acutely felt here. As the Longford County Archivist Martin Morris details in his excellent essay in today’s programme booklet, the people of Longford endured widespread hunger and death, faced the trauma of the overcrowded workhouses, and lived with the scourge of emigration long after those dark years of the Great Famine.

It is easy to take for granted what we know about the Famine, and condense the history of the period into simple statistics. While we can be shocked by figures such as the drop in Ireland’s population from an estimated 8.5 million in 1846 to 6.5 million in 1851, they don’t convey the full lived horror and tragedy of the starvation, disease and death visited upon so many Irish people.

To fully appreciate this, we need to turn to the first-hand accounts from the time. As we will hear in letters read today by Matt Farrell, a bright spot in this period in Edgeworthstown was the efforts of the author Maria Edgeworth and her family to help those most in need. In one truly harrowing account, she writes of a woman so overwhelmed and broken by the effects of famine that she does not seem to even notice that the child she carries on her back has died. It is hard to easily forget this image, of a mother bereft beyond understanding, and the head of her innocent, lifeless child bobbing from side to side. While others of her class isolated themselves from this suffering on their doorstep and often exacerbated it, Maria Edgeworth rejected the dehumanising effects of this attitude and took action.

An Gorta Mór left towns and communities across the country drained of life and laughter. In today’s ceremony, we will hear examples of the rich and joyful culture that still thrived here in Longford at the time of the Famine in a selection of music written by the influential Longford fiddler Thomas ‘Blind’ Kiernan. In the musical ensemble Streancán who will also be performing, we’ll see that this tradition continues to the present day, as energetic and innovative as it was over 175 years ago.

We are grateful also to Noel Monahan, who has composed a poem we will hear today celebrating the famed Longford uilleann piper Thomas Kerrigan. Kerrigan was born during the Famine years, and was one of many of the Longford diaspora who had to leave their homeland. He is just one example of how Irish people adapted and thrived in the face of despair, as he brought his ancient art form to a new land, showcasing all its depth and beauty.

The Famine tore at the very fabric of our society by decimating communities that had been so tightly knit together. Given this history, a central aspect of the National Famine Commemoration is the engagement of the local community, and the unique opportunity it offers to remember victims of an event that profoundly affected places such as Edgeworthstown. I would like to express my thanks to the many local community groups, businesses and volunteers in preparing their town for today’s event.

The strong pride of place and sense of community here in Edgeworthstown is obvious both today and in the many events that have been taking place over the last number of weeks. I believe that this is in no small part due to the deep understanding Edgeworthstown and many communities across Ireland have of the suffering that occurred during An Gorta Mór.

It is impossible to reflect on our own history here, without also acknowledging the hardship, hunger and suffering still experienced in many parts of our world today, by those who are struggling with extreme malnutrition or famine.

For many, conflict is to blame for their suffering. But any obstruction of humanitarian aid which triggers horrific starvation cannot be tolerated. It is inhumane. Our nation and its citizens rightly abhor any such barbaric oppression.

Daily images now, often on our television screens, of starving mothers and their young children serve to remind us that everything must be done to prevent famine, in order to provide not just hope but of course relief.

Today, as we remember the victims of this cataclysm in Ireland, the vital message that this commemoration sends out to the world is indeed one of hope and renewal. The people of Longford and this country persevered through desperate suffering. Their music, songs and language survived. And we still stand here, to honour the dead, the exiled, and those left behind.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the members of the National Famine Commemoration Committee for their dedication to ensuring the Great Famine is remembered and commemorated in an appropriate manner.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the work of Longford County Council, the Office of Public Works, the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, the staff of my department, and all those who have worked on today’s arrangements.

Mar fhocal scoir, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil libh uilig as a bheith linn ag an searmanas inniu chun a chinntiú go gcuimhnítear ar íospartaigh an Ghorta Mhóir le meas agus le dínit. Go raibh maith agaibh.