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A memorial to Irishmen who died in Flanders has been inaugurated in a Peace Garden in Dublin.<\/p>\nA memorial to Irishmen who died in Flanders has been inaugurated in a Peace Garden in Dublin.<\/p>\n
It is thought more than 49,000 Irish died in the conflict, many of whom are buried in Flanders, in northern Belgium.<\/p>\n
Dublin Lord Mayor Nial Ring and Jan Peumans, speaker of the parliament of Flanders, presided over a ceremony which saw the memorial dedicated to all those from the island of Ireland who died in Flanders Fields during the First World War.<\/p>\n
During the ceremony, soil from Flanders was buried with soil from the four provinces of Ireland, and placed within a circle of Leinster granite which reflects the circular design in the roof of the Menin Gate in Ypres.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the ceremony, the Dublin Lord Mayor hailed the people of Flanders who work hard to commemorate all those who died in their fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis memorial will serve as a reminder of our long-standing friendship with Flanders and, along with the Tree of Life sculpture, will stand as focal points in the Peace Garden when it officially re-opens in the coming weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nic Van der Marliere, general representative of the government of Flanders to Ireland, said there was a contemporary message in the memorial, noting that governments now take some rights and freedoms for granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe human price paid to safeguard peace and human rights and the message of tolerance and reconciliation are an essential part of remembrance for Flanders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe First World War may be a hundred years behind us, but the inalienability of the rights of all human beings, respect for freedom and democracy, are as relevant today as they were then.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe more so, because today too many people and countries take them too much for granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlanders will always show its profound gratitude for the extraordinary generosity and support of the Irish people in its hour of need.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Flanders Fields Memorial, uniting soil from Flanders and the four provinces of Ireland, will be an eternal testimony to our great and unwavering friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n
In future, the memorial will be covered with a grass sward and engraved with poetry by Francis Ledwidge, a Co Meath-born poet and soldier, who died in 1917 at the battle of Passchendaele.<\/p>\n
Around the memorial, benches of Belgian blue stone have been engraved with the crests of Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht, Ireland\u2019s four provinces.<\/p>\n
About 210,000 Irishmen served in the British forces during the First World War, as in 1914 the island of Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
However, due to the heightened political tensions in Ireland between nationalist and unionist groups, the service of Irishmen during the conflict had been somewhat disregarded.<\/p>\n
Successive Irish governments have sought to right historical wrongs in the last five years, culminating in a number of centenary ceremonies this year.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee noted: \u201cIn some respects, Ireland\u2019s journey of First World War remembrance during this decade of centenaries began with Taoiseach Enda Kenny\u2019s tour of Flanders with prime minister David Cameron in 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis commitment to remembrance has continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur embassy in Brussels, alongside representatives of the defence forces, attended more than 30 commemorative ceremonies throughout Belgium during last November\u2019s Armistice weekend marking the centenary of the war\u2019s end.\u201d<\/p>\n