Mr Martin – speaking at a special Greater Chernobyl Cause commemoration at Cork’s Bishop Lucey Park – vowed that Ireland will stand with the survivors of Chernobyl and will work to restore peace, hope and healing in the world.<\/p>\n
The commemoration took place after President Catherine Connolly hosted a special ceremony on Friday in \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in to mark four decades since the world’s worst nuclear disaster.<\/p>\n
Cork unveiled a special sculpture in the Marina last week to mark the 40th anniversary of Chornobyl and to honour the enormous work since 1986 by Irish volunteers to assist those impacted.<\/p>\n
Mr Martin warned that the lessons of Chornobyl must never be forgotten.<\/p>\n
“As we mark the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, we pause not only to remember a tragedy that changed the course of countless lives, but also to honour the extraordinary courage and resilience of those who have endured its legacy,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Today, the pain of Chornobyl is deepened by the ongoing war in Ukraine, reminding us that the struggle for dignity, safety, and hope is far from over.<\/p>\n
“Ireland stands shoulder to shoulder with the survivors, the heroic liquidators, and all those still suffering\u2014both from the consequences of the disaster and the horrors of conflict.<\/p>\n
“The unwavering dedication of (charities like) the Greater Chornobyl Cause (GCC) is a testament to the power of compassion and the strength of community.<\/p>\n
“Ireland will continue to support and advocate for all those affected by Chornobyl, ensuring their stories are never forgotten and their needs never overlooked.<\/p>\n
“On this solemn anniversary, we renew our commitment to solidarity, remembrance and humanitarian action. Together, we can help bring hope and healing where it is needed most.”<\/p>\n
GCC stage a special commemoration each year in Cork’s Bishop Lucey Park to mark the tragedy.<\/p>\n
A special birch grove in the park honours all those impacted by the Chernobyl disaster.<\/p>\n
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Larysa Gerasko, also attended the event.<\/p>\n
GCC founder Fiona Corcoran said what happened at Chornobyl must never be forgotten.<\/p>\n
“As we mark forty years since the Chornobyl disaster, we remember not only a tragedy that shattered families and communities but also a catastrophe whose invisible wounds are still felt<\/p>\n
today,” she said.<\/p>\n
“The pain of Chornobyl endures \u2014 in the lives of children with life-limiting illnesses, in the isolation of the elderly, and in the memories of those who lost everything.”<\/p>\n
“Now, as war against Ukraine rages into its fifth year, new wounds are opened on old scars, and suffering is compounded. The resilience and dignity of the survivors continue to inspire us, even in the face of unimaginable hardship.”<\/p>\n
“Ireland stands with them \u2014ntoday and always.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Corcoran recently visited the exclusion zone around the old nuclear reactor to witness first-hand the ongoing hardships faced by those living in the shadow of the disaster.<\/p>\n
“In towns like Ivankiv, just 40 minutes from Chornobyl, the echoes of history blend with the harsh realities of today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
“Elderly women who survived Chornobyl and now endure war are isolated and frail. The heroes who once shielded the world \u2014 known as \u2018liquidators\u2019 \u2014 are left behind, facing age, illness, and abandonment.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mr Martin – speaking at a special Greater Chernobyl Cause commemoration at Cork’s Bishop Lucey Park – vowed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43,3589,2040],"class_list":{"0":"post-418389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-russia","12":"tag-ukraine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}