Representatives of the Irish, British, and Belgian Governments, will come together to lead a commemoration ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, Flanders, Belgium this Saturday, November 11th, 2023.
The Island of Ireland Peace Park is a poignant memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the island of Ireland who died during the First World War.
The project, which has become a symbol of reconciliation and remembrance, was conceived by the late Paddy Harte, a Fine Gael TD from Raphoe, and the late Glenn Barr, a community activist from Derry.
The Island of Ireland Peace Park was recently recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
(The picture above is of Paddy Harte looking through the letter and names left in the Memorial register at the war memorial. in Belguim. Photo Brian McDaid.)
The 25th anniversary commemoration will be attended by Minister Norma Foley TD who will represent the Irish Government, with officials from the British Government and Northern Ireland Executive Office in attendance, along with the Mayor of Messines.
Members of the Harte and Barr families will also be in attendance.
The Island of Ireland Peace Park was officially inaugurated on November 11, 1998, by President Mary McAleese, with Queen Elizabeth II, and King Albert of Belgium. This historic occasion marked the first time that the Irish State officially recognised the soldiers from Ireland who lost their lives in World War I.
President Mary McAleese, on behalf of the Irish State, publicly acknowledged the “national amnesia” in remembering the soldiers of WWI from the Island of Ireland. This ceremony also marked the first-ever public meeting between an Irish Head of State and a British Monarch.
The 25th-anniversary commemoration ceremony takes place on the afternoon of November 11th, 2023.
Background to the Peace Park
The Island of Ireland Peace Park, located in Messines, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. The Park features a 110-foot tower designed in the traditional style of an Irish round tower, to serve as a memorial in honour of Irishmen of all denominations who died during the First World War. The tower transcends religious and political differences, aspiring to be a symbol of reconciliation, not only for the past, but also for the present and the future.
During the Battle of Messines, which started on 7 June 1917, the Catholic and Protestant Irish divisions fought side by side to gain the ridge on which the village of Wijtschate and the town of Mesen stand.
The round tower is partially constructed with stone from a workhouse outside Mullingar, County Westmeath. Notably, the tower’s unique design allows the interior to be illuminated by the sun only at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, coinciding with the armistice that ended World War I.
