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Leo Varadkar has attended the centenary Armistice Day commemoration in Paris.<\/p>\nLeo Varadkar has attended the centenary Armistice Day commemoration in Paris.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar joined more than 70 heads of state and government, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for the service at the Arc de Triomphe to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.<\/p>\n
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the Taoiseach said it was an important reminder about international co-operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am honored to represent Ireland at this commemorative event which marks the end of hostilities in what was one of the greatest tragedies in world history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will stand in memory of the more than 200,000 Irishmen who fought in the conflict and the many Irishwomen who witnessed the horrors of war and worked courageously to save lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cTens of thousands of Irishmen, many of them only in their teens, were killed. Those who did survive returned to a changed Ireland, unable to share their horrific experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the Decade of Centenaries, their stories have been shared and we have rightly honored the enormous sacrifice made by those who went to the front.<\/p>\n
“In the words of Thomas Kettle, we honor those who \u2018Died not for flag, nor King, nor Emperor, But for a dream, born in a herdsman\u2019s shed, And for the secret Scripture of the poor.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we face new challenges in the 21st century, we need to work together to achieve peace, stability and prosperity across the world. Through our committed and active membership of the EU and the UN, Ireland will continue to play a leading role in these efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Macron used the occasion, as its host, to sound a warning about the fragility of peace and the dangers of nationalism.<\/p>\n