Council asked to take over famine commemoration

CORK City Council has been asked to take over a once annual famine commemoration event to ensure that “such a bleak part of our city’s history is remembered by modern generations”.

The call came from former lord mayor, Independent councillor Mick Finn, who said an annual event was organised by a volunteer famine group at St Joseph’s Cemetery in Ballyphehane led by former lord mayor Brian Bermingham, Pat Gunn and a small committee up to recently but that they are “no longer in a position to do it themselves”.

“I have offered to help out but it would be much more sustainable if the annual ceremony could be run by the community and placemaking section of the city council, similar to the local version of the annual National Commemoration in Fitzgerald’s Park which is done so well.

“There are up to 30,000 of our ancestors buried in St Joseph’s in a large mass grave that was secured at the time by Fr Matthew,” Mr Finn said, adding that such history should never be forgotten and should be honoured at an event every year.

Mr Finn hoped that such an event could restart next year and include members of the volunteer committee that kept it going for years.

He also said the recent acquisition of All Saints Cemetery, a famine graveyard on Carr’s Hill, also presents the council with an opportunity to develop proper access to the off-road site, install interpretation or heritage panels and restore the large cross, for which so many people fundraised, back to its former glory.

“Credit to councillor Deirdre Forde and the CE Ann Doherty for getting the transfer of the famine cemetery on Carr’s Hill over the line from both the county council and the HSE who had responsibility for it.

“I was told that this process is still being completed and that, ‘following the completion of this, stakeholder mapping and a project team will be set up initially to scope research and inform any future development for the site’”.