Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 November 2012
8. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress that has been made on plans for the International and National Famine commemoration in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53023/12]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that, as chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, is responsible for ensuring on behalf of the Government, that appropriate arrangements are in place to commemorate the Great Irish Famine, an Gorta Mór. Details of the work of the National Famine Commemoration Committee since 2008 in implementing a varied and diverse annual programme of events to coincide with the national Famine commemoration are available on the relevant pages of my Department's website.
The national Famine commemoration rotates between the four provinces of Ireland and next year will take place in Munster. In that regard, the Minister has introduced a new selection process to determine the location of the commemoration in 2013 and future years. In line with the process, he invited the county and city councils in Munster to submit expressions of interest and proposals setting out possible locations where the ceremony might be held, following consultation with local communities, interest groups and other stakeholders. The purpose of the new approach is to generate public awareness and interest in the annual national Famine commemoration, to increase the number of potential sites available to choose from each year and to ensure that the selection process is as transparent and open as possible. A sub-committee of the National Famine Commemoration Committee is currently assessing the proposals and will recommend the most suitable site. The Minister expects to announce the date and location of the 2013 commemoration following the next meeting of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, which is due to be held in mid-December. In line with previous years, an international event is also being planned to commemorate the Great Irish Famine. It is proposed to hold the 2013 international Famine commemoration on Sunday, 25 August in Sydney, Australia.
There is a strict total of four minutes for supplementary questions and answers. Each speaker has strictly one minute each.
I welcome the new selection process. It is a positive development. When it comes around to the province of Connacht again, could serious consideration be given to the National Famine Museum in Strokestown, County Roscommon? It was bizarre that the first event to be held in the west did not take place in the National Famine Museum that was established to commemorate the Famine. I hope that Strokestown will be the location when it is the turn of the province of Connacht again, given that the national museum is based there.
The Deputy's view will be conveyed to the Minister. I am sure that will be the case when Connacht is in line again for the rotation of the commemoration, which will take place in Munster next year and was in Drogheda this year. I had the pleasure and privilege of being there. It was the first such event I attended and what went on there that day was a revelation. It is appropriate that we should have commemorations at home and abroad. I have not been to the Famine museum in Strokestown but I hope to visit some time in the near future.
The Minister of State is very welcome anytime. He has an open invitation.
I would like to see it. Deputy Naughten's constructive proposal will be conveyed to the Minister.
The Minister has outlined the location of previous and future national commemoration events. Will he give consideration to the holding of an all-island commemoration in the future with a North-South ministerial dimension?
The commemoration affects the 32 counties. Would the Minister of State's Department, in conjunction with its Northern counterpart, consider doing this on a joint basis, including the possibility that a national all-island commemoration might be held in one of the Six Counties? Parts of that area also suffered greatly during the Famine.
Tá an méid atá ráite ag daoine eile tábhachtach chomh maith agus aontaím leis. I thank the Minister of State for his response and I acknowledge it has taken us too long as a nation to commemorate what was, in effect, the Irish Holocaust. It killed 1 million people and dispersed another million across the world. As the Minister of State outlined, there is enormous potential to develop this, linking in with the descendents of the million people who spread around the world. There is also potential to inspire our own people to look to those areas of the world that are now suffering from starvation so that, as a nation once decimated by famine, we can continue to support those who are currently experiencing these inordinate difficulties.
What sort of financial resources are available to those involved in organising these important commemorations? They could not happen without the team of volunteers throughout the country who generously give their time to the initiative. I do not want to talk about The Gathering all the time but, given its importance in the development of tourism in 2013 and thereafter, does the Minister of State see an opportunity to link the work of the commemoration committees with the initiatives being taken in tourism in regard to The Gathering?
Before the Minister of State replies, I apologise for my mix-up in the order of those who tabled questions. Deputy Ó Fearghaíl spoke on behalf on Deputy Brendan Smith. Deputy O'Donovan's question was entirely valid and I hope the Minister of State will address both.
Deputy O'Donovan made a constructive proposal. Contrary to the opinion of some, there was famine in Northern Ireland too. I come from the geographic north, if not the political North, and I am aware there was famine in the whole area. I cannot see any reason we should not pursue the constructive proposal made by Deputy O'Donovan. During my visit to the commemoration in Drogheda last summer, the North was well represented and the Second Minister, Martin McGuinness, MLA, was sitting beside me. This can be pursued, particularly now that we have a committee dedicated to commemorations. It will certainly be considered.
In response to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's question, I do not have in my brief any mention of the resources that are available for such commemorations but I am sure the information is available and somebody will convey it to the Deputy. Even though it is more than 150 years since the Great Famine there is still a collective memory of it. One of the proofs is that any time there is a collection for famine relief in underdeveloped parts of the world, in areas such as the Horn of Africa, the Irish people respond magnificently. I believe that per capita we are up there in division one with any other country in the world, in spite of the difficulties we have. The Famine left a major and lasting imprint on the psyche of the Irish people and that is the reason for the generosity. I hope it will continue.
There is no reason the commemoration could not be coupled with The Gathering as part of the programme to bring people to this country. That is probably a project that should be taken up by Fáilte Ireland.
