Steel from World Trade Centre arrives at Cork's Garden of Remembrance

Steel from the World Trade Centre was delivered to Cork last month as part of a special commemorative event.

The event, attended by Minister for Finance Jack Chambers TD, and organised by the Kinsale and District Lions Club, saw the steel delivered to the Garden of Remembrance in Ringfinnan.

The material, recovered from Ground Zero, was transported from the US by members of the New York Fire Department (FDNY), who took part in a fundraising cycle from Dublin to Kinsale this summer.

The FDNY members and the steel were then escorted to the gardens, alongside members of the Kinsale Fire and Rescue department.

Wreath

Mr Chambers delivered a speech and laid a wreath to mark the lives lost of the some 343 firemen who died in the September 11 attacks 23 years ago, many of whom proudly claimed Irish heritage.

“I want to thank everyone who has helped to organise this very poignant and thought-provoking commemoration ceremony, which allows me the opportunity to pay tribute to the heroic firemen who lost their lives in the attacks on 9/11,” Mr Chambers said.

“I know my party leader, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, has previously contributed to commemorative events here, as have other government and Fianna Fáil representatives over the years.

“It’s a privilege for me to be able to follow in their lead by laying this wreath and to contribute in a small way to this much larger transatlantic movement, which unites our two countries and the communities of Kinsale and New York.”

A base and mount will be constructed for the steel over the next few months, with an official unveiling planned for spring 2025.