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www.celtic-connection.com
MAY 2010
Irish National Famine Memorial Day: May 16, 2010
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
DUBLIN - Eamon O Cuiv, T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, has outlined the National Famine Commemoration Committee's plans for the National Famine Memorial Day 2010.
It is proposed that the national event will take place on May 16 in Murrisk, Co. Mayo.
The committee has suggested that the parallel international event will be held in New York and that communities around the country should be encouraged to hold their own local events to commemorate the Great Famine and that all public and sporting events should observe a minute's silence on the National Famine Memorial Day.
The failure of the potato crop during the 1840s was a transforming event in Ireland and no other event in Irish history can be likened to the Great Famine for either its immediate impact or legacy.
The population of Ireland, which exceeded eight million in the census of 1841, was reduced by approximately 1.5 million through death and emigration. Indeed, the legacy of the famine includes a strong appreciation among Irish people of issues such as food security and a strong commitment to humanitarian aid and relief.
IRISH NATIONAL FAMINE MEMORIAL - Murrisk is the site of Ireland's National Famine Memorial, designed by Irish artist John Behan, which abstractly resembles a coffin ship filled with dying people.
It also resulted, through emigration, in the formation of many diaspora communities - the Irish abroad.
The west of Ireland, and County Mayo in particular, was one of the worst affected areas during the Great Famine and against this background it has been agreed by the National Famine Commemoration Committee that the National Commemorative event in 2010 should be held in Murrisk, Co. Mayo, which is home to the National Famine Monument.
The National Famine Monument at Murrisk is situated close to the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre and was unveiled by the then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in 1997.
The sculpture by John Behan depicts a 'Coffin Ship' with skeletal bodies and commemorates the Great Famine of the 1840s and is the largest bronze sculpture in Ireland.
A similar sculpture was unveiled in November, 2000, outside the United Nations building in New York City, representing those immigrants who survived the journey to America.
Minister O Cuiv expressed his gratitude to the members of the National Famine Commemoration Committee for their commitment in ensuring that the catastrophic events of the Great Famine are appropriately remembered and that the extraordinary contributions of those who emigrated, and of their many descendants abroad, are justly celebrated.
Crosscare Migrant Project:
Assisting Irish
Emigrants
Dear Editor:
Crosscare Migrant Proj ect (CMP) is the main Irish based organisation that assists Irish emigrants before they leave Ireland and when they are returning.
We are funded by the Irish Abroad Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs and have been working with Irish emigrants since the 1940s.
Given the recent increase in Irish people immigrating to Canada, our organisation is looking to keep in touch with the issues that Irish people are facing in British Columbia.
Being committed to human rights and social justice, the focus of our work is on caring for people who are in vulnerable situations or are facing the risk of entering such situations.
We hope that increased co-operation between CMP and organisations in Canada will be mutually beneficial not just for our organisations but more importantly for Irish emigrants currently in a vulnerable situation in British Columbia.
If you are dealing with any vulnerable Irish people who may be in need of additional information, support or advocacy in relation to coming back to Ireland, we may be in a position to provide some valuable assistance.
Kind Regards, Leon Richardson Crosscare Migrant Project {formerly Emigrant Advice) 1 Cathedral Street, Dublin 1 353 (0)1 873 2844 e-mail: lrichardson@crosscare.ie www.migrantproject.ie
Thank You for Tickets to an Uplifting Experience
Dear Editor:
I felt compelled to write and thank you for the opportunity to see Anthony Kearns this past Friday evening.
I must admit that the tickets were originally to go to my boyfriend's parents, natives of Ireland, but unfortunately they were needed there by an ill relative who passed away shortly after they arrived.
That being said, the concert lifted my spirits. I am truly grateful to you and The Celtic Connection for allowing me to experience this caliber of performance in such an intimate setting, it was exquisite.
With sincere gratitude, Joanne McGilvray
Highlights inside this issue
•Atlantic Trap & Gill:
New Location in Vancouver......See Page 7
• Beltane Fire Festival Celebrations:
Calton Hill, Edinburgh......See Page 9
• Stone of Destiny:
Another Strange Twist......See Page 12
• The Irish Abroad: Profiles......See Page 14
Facing Tragedy in N. America......See Page 16
• 2010 Irish Woman of the Year:
Annette Savage......See Page 17
• The Apprentice: My Years at Harland & Wolff in Belfast......See Page 20
• Staging Your Home for Sale
with Pair Home Design......See Page 21
Sports: Western Canada GAA Tournaments
upcoming this summer......See Page 27
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THE CELTIC CONNECTION
ISSUE 19 VOLUME 3
#452 - 4111 Hastings Street, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6T7 Tel: (604) 434-3747 • Fax: (604) 438-8419 Website: www.celtic-connection.com Maura De Freitas - Publisher • E-Mail: maura@telus.net Catholine Butler - Advertising • E-Mail: cbutler@telus.net Colleen Carpenter - Copy Editor • Christine Burke - Ad Production Distribution: Arlyn Lingat* Kevin Boggan • Angie Park • Linda Robb • Kathy Griffin and Frank Dudfield in Surrey • James Carbin & Joanne Long in Mission • Bill Duncan in Maple Ridge • Bill Carracher in White Rock • Nanci Spieker and Melissa Estelle in Seattle • Oliver Grealish in Edmonton.
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