Taoiseach Micheál Martin has lain a wreath in Enniskillen to mark Remembrance Sunday, 35 years after 11 people were killed by an IRA bomb as they attended the annual event.
Mr Martin placed a laurel wreath at the cenotaph war memorial in the Co Fermanagh town, where hundreds had gathered for a service.
His attendance is part of a tradition which began 10 years ago with then taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and Jayne Brady, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, also laid wreaths.
The no-warning bomb exploded just minutes before the ceremony was due to start on November 8th, 1987. A twelfth victim of the blast died 13 years later having never woken up from a coma.
It was the first Remembrance Sunday service held since the unveiling of a new memorial marking the site of the Poppy Day bomb.
[ Enniskillen remembers victims on 35th anniversary of Poppy Day bombOpens in new window ]
Speaking afterwards, Mr Martin described the attack as a “terrible atrocity which resulted in a shocking and needless loss of life. And I’m always reminded when I come here of the families of those who lost their lives, the victims of that terrible bombing and the 60 people who were injured, and that brings home to me every time I’m here the absolute futility and immorality of acts like that.”
He said his presence at the event reflected the spirit of the Belfast Agreement, which was about seeking mutual understanding and reconciliation.
He added: “It’s about understanding the loss of different communities of life and the terrible violence that was perpetrated on people which could never be justified and can never be justified and also I think, in terms of our future, that we learn to understand better, different traditions, different backgrounds on this island. We seek mutual understanding between those two traditions and that really is the importance and the need to continue to meet, to continue to engage and I’ve always found that to be the most effective way to build true, sustainable peace, understanding and reconciliation on this island.”
Wreath-laying remembrance ceremonies took place across the North, including Belfast City Hall’s Garden of Remembrance.
Meanwhile, a Belfast law firm has sent a “substantial submission” to the Attorney General office in Dublin over its opposition to the UK government’s controversial Bill to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
KRW Law is calling on the Attorney General to advise the Government to lodge a case with the European Court of Human Rights condemning the UK government’s planned legislation — on the grounds it breaches the “letter and spirit” of the Belfast Agreement as well as the European Convention on Human Rights.
If enacted — the Bill is before the House of Lords for scrutiny — the new law would lead to the creation of a truth recovery body offering immunity from prosecution to perpetrators who co-operate with its inquiries.
Victims’ campaigners have warned the legislation will “close down paths to justice” and “shield perpetrators”.
KRW represents many Troubles victims and survivors, including those killed in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings in 1974.
A spokesman for the firm said a legal challenge by the Irish Government would “would send a clear message to Westminster politicians that this Bill cannot pass and will be challenged and condemned by the international community as a betrayal of the relatives of victims and survivors of the conflict in Ireland”.
