New Famine Memorial Garden opens in Fermanagh

A Famine Memorial Garden adjacent to the Sacred Heart church in Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh, was blessed by Catholic Bishop of Clogher Liam MacDaid at the weekend.

It is adjacent to the site of the old workhouse which featured prominently during the Famine there more than 150 years ago. The memorial builds on work done by a local cross-community group in restoring a Famine graveyard nearby and followed the earlier creation in 2010 of a Garden of the Celtic Saints at the church.

Much of the work on the projects was done by local man Jonas Raiskas, who came to the area from Lithuania in recent years. He was commissioned by the parish to create 20 carvings in the Garden of the Celtic Saints plus those in the new Memorial Garden.

The Famine garden has four parts: the potato field, the Famine kitchen, the workhouse door and the emigrant ship. Each is marked by eight carved pieces by Mr Raiskas.

Parish priest Michael McGourty said: “This memorial calls all of us in the community and beyond to reflect not just on our past but on our present. It calls us to address the poverty and famine in our own world today and constantly answer the call of the Gospel to reach out to those in need.

“Its location and its art does so in a way that brings both the traditional message and the history of Irish Christianity into focus in a profound way. All are welcome to come to these gardens to pray and reflect. Everyone will be especially welcome on this Saturday evening when Bishop MacDaid visits us to bless the new memorial garden and to celebrate the Eucharist.”