On Friday, September 11, a memorial ceremony for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 was held at Ireland’s National Monument to the Fighting 69th Regiment and Brigadier General Michael Corcoran in Ballymote. Former Fine Gael politician and Minister of State, John Perry, was master of ceremonies.
Introducing the event, John Perry stated that we must remember the 3000 victims from the 91 countries on that fateful day. He paid his respects to Michael Lynch, a New York firefighter of Sligo descent, who passed away while trying to save lives during the events of 9/11 and to the Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation, which donated steel from the wreckage of the Twin Towers to the Irish American Civil War Memorial.
John Perry said, “ We gather today in remembrance of those people who lost their lives, the first responders, the emergency personnel who served with courage, the survivors and the families and communities whose lives were changed forever. This ceremony also recognises the long-standing friendship between Ireland and the United States and the bonds of solidarity that connect our two nations.”
The keynote speaker was Daniel Mulhall, the Former Irish Ambassador to the United States. Speaking at the event, he stated, “ 25 years on from that fateful day, the first thing we need to do, obviously, as we’ve done here today, is to remember the 3,000 people who lost their lives so cruelly that day in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. The families and friends of 9-11 victims deserve our continued sympathy for the shattering loss of their loved ones, which changed so many lives unalterably. Looking back over the stretch of 25 years, it’s also appropriate to reflect on the wider impact of those dreadful atrocities.”
For full coverage and photos of the event, see next week’s Sligo Weekender – In shops and online, Thursday, September 17.
