{"id":453603,"date":"2026-05-17T14:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/453603\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T14:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:37:10","slug":"lessons-from-famine-continue-to-resonate-taoiseach-tells-commemoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/453603\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from famine continue to resonate, Taoiseach tells commemoration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Lessons of \u201ccompassion, solidarity and humanity\u201d learnt from the Irish famine will \u201ccontinue to resonate\u201d with future generations, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin has said.<\/p>\n<p>The 19th National Famine Commemoration took place on Sunday in the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna, Co Galway.<\/p>\n<p>The event remembers all of those who suffered, died or were forced to emigrate in the famine from 1845 to 1852.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"427\" width=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/lessons-from-famine-continue-to-resonate-taoiseach-tells-commemoration.jpg\" alt=\"Fine Gael think-in\" data-title=\"Fine Gael think-in\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Archive\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Archive\/PA Images\" data-credit=\"Liam McBurney\" data-usage-terms=\"\"\/>Patrick O\u2019Donovan said it was an honour to host the event (Brian Lawless\/PA)<\/p>\n<p>It was hosted by the Minister for Culture and chairman of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, Patrick O\u2019Donovan.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Martin officiated at the event and delivered the keynote address.<\/p>\n<p>It was the first time the commemoration had taken place in Galway.<\/p>\n<p>The event included military honours and cultural and community elements before concluding with a wreath-laying ceremony by the Taoiseach, Mr O\u2019Donovan and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Martin said: \u201cThe National Famine Commemoration provides an important opportunity to reflect on one of the most profound and defining periods in our history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the famine represents immense loss and suffering, it also reminds us of the resilience of ordinary people and the enduring strength of community in times of hardship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Irish Workhouse Centre stands as an important place of remembrance and education, ensuring that the experiences of those who lived through the famine are honoured with dignity and that the lessons of compassion, solidarity and humanity continue to resonate with future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    In this county where the famine destroyed communities, they did not remain broken, they were rebuilt, strong, vibrant and diverse in all their forms<\/p>\n<p>            Patrick O\u2019Donovan<\/p>\n<p>Mr O\u2019Donovan said: \u201cIt is an honour to host the 2026 National Famine Commemoration in the Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna, to remember all those who suffered due to the Great Irish Famine.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"not-prose no-underline\" data-action=\"click\" data-category=\"Read more article clicked\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.breakingnews.ie\/ireland\/gardai-investigating-second-fire-in-dublin-playground-in-six-months-1901046.html\" data-value=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.breakingnews.ie\/ireland\/gardai-investigating-second-fire-in-dublin-playground-in-six-months-1901046.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cc-diamond-park-7.jpg\" class=\"rounded-sm object-contain bg-transparent z-10 w-full h-full not-prose\" alt=\"Garda\u00ed Investigating Second Fire In Dublin Playground In Six Months\" width=\"278\" height=\"156\" \/><\/p>\n<p>        Ireland<\/p>\n<p>Garda\u00ed investigating second fire in Dublin playground in six months<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this county where the famine destroyed communities, they did not remain broken, they were rebuilt, strong, vibrant and diverse in all their forms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is surely one of the most fitting and important tributes to our ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council David Collins said: \u201cThe story of An Gorta Mor is deeply interwoven with the history and identity of the county of Galway, shaping communities across the county and its wider diaspora, including places such as Portumna, where loss, survival and emigration from that period can still be felt today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lessons of \u201ccompassion, solidarity and humanity\u201d learnt from the Irish famine will \u201ccontinue to resonate\u201d with future generations,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-453603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453603","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=453603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}