OMISSION CLAIM:THE GOVERNMENT department responsible for the National Famine Commemoration says there was "no intent to exclude any group" from the week-long programme of events.
The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was commenting on the omission of the annual Doolough Famine walk from the programme planned for Co Mayo this year.
The annual Doolough walk, hosted by justice and peace organisation Afri, was initiated in 1988 and is one of the State’s longest-running Famine commemoration events.
The walk is always held in May. It commemorates the loss of 400 lives in 1847 during a 10-mile trek by destitute and starving families along Killary fjord to beg for relief at Delphi Lodge.
Trócaire director Justin Kilcullen will lead this year’s walk next Sunday along with Guardian correspondent Felicity Lawrence, author of Not on the Label, and Jo Newton of the Irish Seed Savers Association.
Afri confirmed that it had not been contacted about the National Famine Commemoration programme when the decision was taken to host it in Mayo.
The first such week-long programme was held in west Cork last year, and will move around the country. A Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs spokeswoman said that there was no intention to exclude any group and there had been extensive local consultation.
Johnny Groden of the Murrisk Development Association said the department selected the date for Mayo’s commemoration in the second week of May.
“If the Doolough Famine walk had been on this weekend, of course it would have been incorporated,” Mr Groden said.
