WAIFC

  • Blog
  • Famine Memorial / Donation
    • Artist’s Concept & Symbolism
    • Talk to Subiaco City Council
  • President Michael Higgins
    • Photo Album
  • Who we are and other news
    • Mission Statement
    • Dardanup Commemoration
    • Photos from Famine Commemorations
    • 2017 Commemorations
    • Bunbury and Bridget Mulqueen
    • Dardanup & the Travel Box
    • video links
    • capt arthur kennedy
  • TRAVEL BOXES
  • Links
  • CONTACTS
  • The Palestine
    • Mary Dooley
    • Mary Ann Taylor
    • Winifred Ward
    • Elizabeth Carbury Maguire
  • Blog
  • Famine Memorial / Donation
    • Artist’s Concept & Symbolism
    • Talk to Subiaco City Council
  • President Michael Higgins
    • Photo Album
  • Who we are and other news
    • Mission Statement
    • Dardanup Commemoration
    • Photos from Famine Commemorations
    • 2017 Commemorations
    • Bunbury and Bridget Mulqueen
    • Dardanup & the Travel Box
    • video links
    • capt arthur kennedy
  • TRAVEL BOXES
  • Links
  • CONTACTS
  • The Palestine
    • Mary Dooley
    • Mary Ann Taylor
    • Winifred Ward
    • Elizabeth Carbury Maguire

NEWS

annual commemoration 2021

3/11/2020

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Western Australia Irish Famine Commemoration Inc.
 
Annual International Famine Commemoration 2021
and Unveiling of Interpretive Panel
Sunday, 16th May, 2021 at 2pm.
Commemoration Report from Perth's Irish Scene magazine: 
GOOD WEATHER AND A LARGE CROWD TURNED
OUT FOR THE 2021 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FAMINE
COMMEMORATION IN SUBIACO 
PictureFiona Rea & Michael Anthony
An interpretative panel for An Gorta Mor sculpture in Market Square Park was officially unveiled by former mayors of Subiaco, Tony Costa and Heather Henderson.
Fred Rea, chairman of the Western Australia Famine Commemoration Committee, said the new panel "completed" the memorial, first unveiled by President Michael D Higgins in October 2017.

As well as the fine weather, event goers enjoyed an incredible showcase of Irish creative culture themed around the Famine.

Fiona Rea sang her new song 'An Gorta Mor', dedicated to the women who fled lreland for Australia. This haunting number led into a spectacular Irish dance performance taken from The Journey, a production due to be staged in The Regal Theatre in Subiaco later this year.

Actor Michael Anthony then stunned the gathering with his powerful enactment of two very different Irish Famine era characters, a Cottier Farmer and Sir Charles Trevelyan, best known for his administration of the famine relief effort in Ireland during The Great Hunger.

Mr Jim Egan read the Famine prayer, and Honorary Irish Consulate Marty Kavanagh also addressed the event that was hosted by Tom Murphy.

At the end of the ceremony members of the audience were invited to leave flowers at An Gorta Mor memorial. Following the commemoration, all went back to The Irish Club for an afternoon of Traditional Irish Music from Perth Comhaltas and refreshments.
​
Photos: Lloyd Gorman • assisted by Ewan Gorman.

Background:
The first International Famine Commemoration was held in Ireland in 2008, following the Irish Government’s decision to commemorate the Great Famine with an annual Memorial Day. Each year the commemoration represents an opportunity for the modern generation to remember the devastating impact which the Great Famine had on the country.
 
The WA commemoration has been held in Perth at the Famine Memorial in Market Square, Subiaco since its unveiling by the Irish President, Michael D Higgins in 2017.
 
This memorial remembers the young Irish women who, from 1853, came to Western Australia from Irish workhouses following the Great Hunger of 1847 – 1850.
 
The Western Australia Famine Commemoration ceremony is special this year as we will be unveiling the Memorial Interpretive Panel. The WAIFC would like to thank Denis Burke and Frank Smyth for their continuing support of the memorial, especially the installation of the Interpretive Panel, go raibh míle maith agat. Thanks also to Joan and Charlie Smith of Smith Sculptors for their design of the Interpretive panel. This now completes the memorial.
 
From the Interpretive Panel:
“The spiral leads to the bronze sculpture of the keening ‘Childless Mother’, which is a personification of “Uaigneas” the eternal expression of loneliness in the Irish language, voicing the enormous sense of inconsolable loss and emptiness of parents left behind”.
 
The Famine Commemoration will be held at the memorial in Market Square, Subiaco form 2pm to 4.30pm. You are invited and to bring flowers if you wish to place on the memorial. The ceremony will be compered by Tom Murphy.
 
Sad, sad is my fate in this weary exile
Dark, dark is the night cloud o’er lone Shanakyle
Where the murdered sleep silently pile upon pile
In the coffinless graves of poor Éireann.


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MEMORIAL INTERPRETATION

2/5/2019

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The West Australian Irish Famine Memorial
INTERPRETATION

This Memorial Commemorates the Great Irish Famine of 1845–1852, and the impact that this ‘outpouring’ of desperate people from Ireland had upon Australia, although the experience in Western Australia was that of emigration rather than starvation.
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an gorta mor brochure

9/24/2018

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letter to waifc

9/24/2018

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​Hi,

I'm reaching out in regards to your website. My oldest daughter, Emily,spent the last few months of school working on her project for her history class. ( She is so happy she is on summer break! HaHa) She gave a great presentation on immigration through Ellis Island and the life of an Immigrant. Emily's a great student, but History has never been her strong suit. She can thank me for that one, as we are both better with our numbers!

Emily developed a real genuine curiosity of History, for our family trip this summer we took a trip to Ellis island, Philadelphia and Boston. She absolutely LOVED it!

Your page was such a help to Emily's success, she got an 85! She even cited your page in her project. Emily came across this article on the history of Ellis Island  https://libertycruise.nyc/packages/history-of-ellis-island  and wanted to share it with you. Would you mind adding the link to your resource page? I know it would Make Emily so proud. If you do, feel free to shoot me an email so we can show her how she contributed!

Thanks again and have a great summer! :)
Mark Thorpe
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Visit of Governor of Arbour Hill Prison

7/12/2018

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Mr. Liam Dowling is Governor of Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin. Arbour Hill Prison is a closed, medium security prison for adult males. The prisoner profile is largely made up of long term sentenced prisoners.
During his visit to Western Australia, Mr Dowling will be presenting a Travel Box to the City of Subiaco in appreciation of the council’s support of ‘An Gorta Mór’ Famine Memorial in Market Square in Subiaco.
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Famine Commemoration 2018

7/12/2018

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subiaco Commemoration

5/25/2018

8 Comments

 
Famine Commemoration at An Gorta Mor Famine Memorial, Subiaco Western Australia on Saturday 12th May 2018 
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Virtual Tour of memorial

5/25/2018

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​Click and, explore 3D space to enjoy virtual tour...
For more information on how virtual tours can help you business call
Olan Healy, 
Operations Manager McDonald Surveys
Mobile  0479061147    www.mcdonaldsurveys.com.au
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Let us know what you are thinking?

3/29/2017

39 Comments

 
39 Comments

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