Sacrifice of Irish soldiers at last recognised - Elliott Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson, Tom Elliott MLA is pleased that the Irish Government have accepted an invitation to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday on 9th November 2014 in memory of the 50,000 Irish who died in World War One. Mr Elliott said: The historical significance of the First World War is taken for granted in the UK and most European countries, but in Ireland the memory of the war was for a long time marginalised and overlooked. Following the Queen’s historic visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 when she laid a wreath in Ireland’s Garden of Remembrance things have moved forward and at last the commemoration of Ireland’s Great War dead, those who died in the fight against Germany can now be formally recognised. I welcome the research being carried out by the GAA on Forgotten Gaelic Volunteers to recognise the participation of GAA members in World War One as a step forward. I believe that the decision to hold a referendum on a United Ireland at Queen’s University will prove to be divisive and the poll will worsen the opinion that Queen’s is a cold house for Unionists and I have made my views known to the Vice Chancellor. I trust that this acknowledgement can be displayed by Sinn Fein at recognising the huge sacrifice which Irish soldiers paid in the First World War by laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday in remembering our nations’ shared sacrifices rather than raise tensions at Queen’s.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 10:42:40 +0000
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