Murrisk Millennium Peace Park
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The Murrisk Millennium Peace Park is a five-acre park located north of the R335 road overlooking the
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in the village of
Murrisk Murrisk () is a village in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport, County Mayo, Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey. Murrisk lies at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is the ...
,
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
, Ireland at the foot of
Croagh Patrick Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several ...
mountain. The landscaping of the park was purposefully designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, allowing for clear views of neighbouring Croagh Patrick, Murrisk Abbey and
Clew Bay Clew Bay (; ) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guar ...
. The minimal landscaping also serves to reinforce the stark visual impact of Ireland's National Famine Memorial, the ''
Coffin Ship A coffin ship () is a popular idiom used to describe the ships that carried Irish migrants escaping the Great Irish Famine and Highlanders displaced by the Highland Clearances. Coffin ships carrying emigrants, crowded and disease-ridden, wit ...
'', a sculpture which stands prominently in the park. The unveiling of the memorial by
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Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...
on 20 July 1997 predated the opening of the Millennium Peace Park by some four years. The park was officially opened on 13 July 2001 by Minister Seamus Brennan T.D., Chairman of the National Millennium Committee which had funded the creation of the park through an award of £250,000. On the park's official plaque it is stated that it was "dedicated to 2,000 years of Christian worship". During the opening ceremony a
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was performed by the Rev. Michael Neary,
Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ) is an Episcopal polity, archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Cathol ...
and Rector Canon Gary Hastings. The park also serves to pay tribute to the spiritual importance of neighbouring Croagh Patrick, a site which has been a place of pilgrimage for over 1,500 years. The park lies across the road from the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre car park and a short distance away from the ruins of Murrisk Abbey, founded in 1457 by the O'Malley family. A natural spring pond also exists within the park.


National Famine Memorial

The National Famine Memorial (), designed by Irish artist John Behan, is Ireland's national memorial to the victims of the
Great Irish Famine The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger ( ), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact o ...
. It is a bronze sculpture measuring 30 foot long and 25 foot high. The memorial consists of a coffin ship with skeletons interwoven through the rigging, symbolising the many emigrants that did not survive the journey across the ocean in search of tenable living conditions. The ship is sited prominently in the park and commands panoramic views over
Clew Bay Clew Bay (; ) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guar ...
.


History

In 1995 the Irish Government invited nominations for a suitable location for a National Famine Memorial to commemorate the event.
Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
Avril Doyle Avril Doyle (; born 18 April 1949) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 1986 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1997. She served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2004 and 2004 to 2009, a ...
T.D. was selected as Chairperson of the Government's Famine Commemoration Committee and met with members of the Murrisk Famine Memorial Committee in the village in November 1995 whilst looking at potential sites for the memorial. Murrisk was eventually chosen as the appropriate site as the committee felt that it was "...entirely fitting that the national famine memorial .be located in the west, which suffered most during the Famine with one in four of the population of Connaught dying in those terrible years." Murrisk is also situated close to the Doo Lough valley, which witnessed the famine-era
Doolough Tragedy The Doolough Tragedy was an event that took place during the Great Irish Famine close to Doo Lough in southwest County Mayo. At least seven (and perhaps 20 or significantly more) starving people died after being required to walk a long distanc ...
. Artist John Behan was commissioned by the Government to create a sculpture that would encompass the magnitude of the suffering and loss endured by the people of Ireland during this time. The sculpture was the single largest casting in bronze ever carried out in Ireland and was managed by the
Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
. The main body of the sculpture was lowered into place by crane in January 1997 and Behan began assembling the finer pieces shortly afterwards. The memorial was unveiled by Mary Robinson on 20 July 1997. The site for the sculpture was provided by Mr. James Fair in honour of his parents Seamus and Brigid.


Commemorations

Ceremonies honouring the victims of the famine on National Famine Memorial Day (16 May), have begun in the past with candle-lit vigils in the Murrisk Millennium Peace Park centring on the National Famine Memorial. In 2010, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
Pat Carey Pat Carey (born 9 November 1947) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs from 20 ...
lead the official commemoration service with an address and wreath-laying ceremony, saying "No other event in our history can be likened to the Great Famine for its immediate impact or its legacy of
emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
, cultural loss and decline of Irish language." Ceremonies are also held at the Garden of Remembrance, Dublin on the same day.


See also

*
Great Famine (Ireland) The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger ( ), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact ...
* List of memorials to the Great Famine


References

{{reflist 1997 sculptures Outdoor sculptures in Ireland Great Famine (Ireland) monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in the Republic of Ireland Parks in Ireland