PRESIDENT MARY McAleese laid a wreath at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham yesterday as part of the National Day of Commemoration ceremony held annually in honour of Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen invited representatives of different faith traditions to recite prayers or give readings. Those who took part, in order of appearance, were: Cantor Alwyn Shulman; Archbishop Dr John RW Neill; Rev Dr John Stephens; Bishop Eamon Walsh; Rev Denis Campbell; Fr Tom Carroll, and Imam Sheikh Hussein Halawa.
A capacity crowd assembled in the morning sunshine for the ceremony. Dr Bernadette Greevy sang Thomas Moore’s Oft in the Stilly Night and the band of 1 Southern Brigade, Defence Forces School of Music, conducted by Lieut Col Brendan Power, performed the traditional Jewish melody Kol Nidre; an extract from Lament for Youth by Dr JF Larchet, and Seán Ó Riada’s Ag Críost an Síol. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the national anthem, led by Dr Greevy.
The attendance included members of the Cabinet, among them Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea. Ministers of State included Trevor Sargent and Seán Haughey. Other members of the Oireachtas also attended – among them TDs Charlie O’Connor, Ruairí Quinn and Catherine Byrne, and Senators Mary White and Eugene Regan.
Others present included Defence Forces chief of staff Lieut Gen Dermot Earley, former taoisigh Garret FitzGerald and Albert Reynolds, former justice minister Nora Owen and SDLP leader Mark Durkan.
