Derry to contribute to Irish Famine Memorial

Illustration of conditions during the Famine.

The project is being developed by the Committee for the Commemoration of the Irish Famine Victims (CCIFV), which advocates for the victims of An Gorta Mór (the Great Hunger) and emigrants past and present.

The An Gorta Mór Memorial will be placed in Glasnevin Cemetery, as there is currently no marker for the famine victims 170 years on.

There will be 32 flagstones on the memorial, one from each county. A report to the Council’s Business and Culture Committee on Tuesday stated that the cost of the stone and engraving will be in the region of £155. Independent Colr. Derek Hussey said he had “absolutely no difficulty with this”.

Sinn Fein Councillor Maoliosa McHugh said it was very appropriate this council area should be involved.

He said that there was a mistaken perception that the people of Ulster during the Famine didn’t face the same level suffering as the provinces further south. “It is blatantly untrue,” he said. “Many here lost their loves during the Great Starvation as I would call it.”