The International Famine Commemoration for 2019 takes place at the Irish Cultural Center (ICC) and McClelland Library in Phoenix Arizona on Sunday 3 November. The ceremony will take place at the An Gorta Mór Great Hunger Memorial which was unveiled in 1999 and was the first structure on the campus of the ICC.
The holding of the International Famine Commemoration is another highlight in a year celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the ICC in Phoenix. To mark their anniversary year, the centre has already hosted a rich variety of cultural and heritage events and following the commemoration they will host a family focused multi-cultural celebration on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking today Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan T.D., who will represent the Government at the International Famine Commemoration on behalf of the Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan T.D., said:
The commemoration event in Phoenix this weekend provides an important moment to reflect on the Great Famine and its impact on Ireland’s relations with the wider world. This is the first time that the International Famine Commemoration has taken place in Western United States – a region where Irish people and those of Irish descent made a formative impact. Today just over 10% of all people in Arizona identify as being of Irish heritage and the commemoration offers an opportunity to recognise and celebrate their achievements and the links between Ireland and Arizona.
I want to congratulate the Irish Cultural Center and McClelland Library on twenty years of celebrating Irish and Scots-Irish culture, tradition and heritage in Phoenix. In particular I want to recognise the inclusive manner in which the Irish Cultural Center celebrates all traditions and their on-going engagement with Hispanic and other groups in Phoenix.
Note to Editors
This is the fifth time the International Commemoration has been held in the United States, having being held previously in New York, Boston, New Orleans and most recently Philadelphia in 2016.
There have been ten international commemorations of the Great Irish Famine to date. Events have also been held in Australia (2), Canada (3) and the UK (1).
While in the United States, Minister O’Donovan will make the opening address of Ireland Week in Los Angeles and will also meet with Irish community groups and business interests in California and Arizona.
The Irish Cultural Center and McClelland Library receives support from the Government of Ireland through the Emigrant Support Programme which is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix is currently home to The Irish in Latin America, an exhibit put together by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This exhibit opened in Mexico City in October of 2016 and showcases the history of Irish immigrants and their families across Latin America from 1611-1968.