BOSTON HAS been selected to host the International Commemoration of the Famine this year. The announcement will be made by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan today on a visit to the Irish Hunger Memorial at Battery Park City, in New York.
The overseas commemoration will coincide with the annual National Famine Commemoration which takes place in Drogheda in May this year.
Mr Deenihan said he looked forward to working with the community in Boston to ensure that the “victims of the famine are remembered and respected in a dignified manner”.
Drogheda was the second largest port of departure from Ireland for the more than one million people forced to emigrate during the Famine years.
Some went to Britain, but many continued on to the US, including Boston.
Previous international commemorations of the Famine have taken place in Canada, New York and Liverpool.
The dates for the national and international events will be announced in the coming weeks.
Mr Deenihan is currently on an official visit to New York, where he is attending a number of events in conjunction with Culture Ireland.