Taoiseach pauses to remember the millions who died or emigrated during famine

By Rebecca Black, Press Association in Philadelphia

Micheál Martin has paused to remember millions of his countrymen who died or emigrated during Ireland’s famine.

He laid a wreath at the Irish Memorial in Philadelphia, standing beside his wife, Mary, in remembrance on the first day of his visit to the United States on Saturday.

The Taoiseach was shown around the structure by Bob Gessler, president of the board of the governors of the memorial, who explained that sculptor Glenna Goodacre visited Ireland several times for inspiration for the faces and features of the characters she carved telling stories from the time.

An estimated one million people died and a further two million people emigrated from Ireland, many to the United States, during the famine from 1845 to 1852.

Gessler said the memorial resonates for many nationalities of emigrants in the United States today, who understood the journey of the Irish at that time, leaving a situation which was untenable.

“We try to represent our heritage and what happened, we believe the memorial is a living thing, it enables us to teach the younger generations the stories of what happened, the stories of our people and our faith,” he said.

“It’s important for us that you are here recognising it. It’s our 23rd year but it’s been a 35-year journey to get here.

Martin responded, commending the memorial telling the story of the humanity of the period, and the different sets of emotions of people who journeyed so far from home.

He said no matter how often people read about the famine, and the numbers who died and emigrated, it is very very difficult to comprehend, but a work of art can tell that story of the extraordinary journey and the hardships and the struggles they went through, moving through to a sense of hope.

“It’s a wonderful work that captures traumatic journey, but that out of that trauma came generations of optimism towards the foundation of this nation,” he added.