Famine initiative to raise funds seen as offensive

A peace and justice group has described as "grotesque and offensive" a new fund-raising initiative involving individual and corporate sponsorship of a Dublin Famine memorial.

Action from Ireland ( AFrI) said the Famine monument on Custom House Quay should not be "commercialised" by allowing individuals and companies to have their names engraved on accompanying plaques for £750 and £5,000. "There is something extremely inappropriate in the idea of selling advertising space to companies around the base of this monument. The use of the sacred memory of the Famine dead as a means of boosting corporate and individual egos is, to say the least, gross and insensitive."

The first of the "family name" plaques were unveiled this week by the President, Mrs McAleese. The corporate plaques are due to be launched next March.

In a statement, AFrI said the high price tag for inclusion on the plaques "means that only the rich will be able to afford to have their names attached - echoes of the Ireland of the 19th century when some indulged in extravagance while others died of poverty".

The initiative is aimed at raising up to £10 million for bodies tackling homelessness and disadvantage among Irish youth.

A spokeswoman for Irish Famine Commemoration Fund, which was founded by Ms Norma Smurfit, said the plaques would be located a considerable distance from the memorial. The names of sponsor individuals and companies would be raised out of the bronze plaques rather than engraved in order to be less obtrusive.

The initiative was also defended by Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, who was among the first names to be included on the plaques.

Banning companies from sponsoring the memorial, he said, "would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face. If you are going to get substantial amounts of money you are going to need corporate sponsorship. Confining yourself to ethical companies would result in a very small pool."

Among the other people to have purchased entries on the plaques are Mr John Hume and Mr Gerry Adams.