THE Government committee set up to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Famine is planning a special cultural celebration of the Irish diaspora to take place in Australia in March.
A series of lectures and concerts in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, including a specially commissioned suite for orchestra and Irish traditional musicians, is planned.
The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Ms Avril Doyle, told a press conference yesterday thousands of Australians would be able to celebrate the unique relationship between the two countries.
"While the Great Famine raged, many Irish men and women were forced to break the most intimate ties of kinship to leave their families and friends to uproot themselves from their place of birth and travel across the world.
"Very many of them found refuge in Australia. While Australia and Ireland may be continents apart, our two countries are, however, culturally very close."
Some of those taking part will be Bernadette Greevy, mezzo soprano, and Irish American dancer Liam Harney. There will be a performance of a specially commissioned suite, Flight from the Land, composed by Dr Charlie Lennon. It will be conducted by John Hughes of RTE and compered by Ann Doyle of RTE.
A third of a million people went to Australia in the 19th century; 330,000 in all emigrated to Australia between 1840 and, 1914.
Meanwhile in Kerry an international research centre focusing on emigration during the Famine is to be located in Blennerville.
Announcing the proposed development, the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said the centre was an integral part of the Irish Genealogy Project, which is aimed at the research, indexation and retrieval of all sources of information relating to Irish family history.
The centre will work closely with the National Archives in Washington, the Canadian National Archives and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, to ensure all records are retrieved.
The centre will cost £300,000, £223,000 of which is being provided by Shannon Development.
The centre's main focus will be on 1840-1860 when the population was halved through death and emigration and in particular on 1845-1855, when over two million people emigrated to America.
The centre will be directed by Ms Helen O'Carroll, a recipient of the Dobbins Scholarship from Canada Ireland University for her work on Irish emigration.