Plaque honouring Chornobyl victims unveiled in Cork city centre park

The 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster was marked on Sunday in Cork at Bishop Lucey Park with an annual service.

The event, held by the Greater Chornobyl Cause, in conjunction with Cork City Council, had an added layer of poignancy with the war against Ukraine now in its fifth year.

A plaque honouring the victims of Chornobyl was unveiled in a birch grove in the park.

The commemoration was attended by government officials and local representatives, including the Lord Mayor of Cork Fergal Dennehy, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Larysa Gerasko, Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland.

The founder of the Greater Chornobyl Cause, Fiona Corcoran, said this was “not only a tragedy that shattered families and communities, but also a catastrophe whose invisible wounds are still felt today”.

“The pain of Chornobyl endures in the lives of children with life-limiting illnesses, in the isolation of the elderly, and in the memories of those who lost everything,” 

said Ms Corcoran.

Mr Martin said the human toll is “immense and continues to impact people’s lives, even 40 years later”.

“Reaction in Ireland to the disaster was deeply felt [and] the war in Ukraine has added a heart-breaking new chapter to this struggle,” said Mr Martin.

Meanwhile, referring to the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night, Mr Martin said there is “growing evidence of an increase in political violence across the world, and we have to be very clear in our condemnation of that. Thankfully, the president and those at the event, the vice-president and others attending the event, were not harmed.”