The stirring words of Marshal Foch, the Allied commander in the first World War, honouring the sacrifice made by Irish soldiers in the defence of his country will be read out today by an Army officer during the Somme commemoration at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge in Dublin.
"They have left to those who come after a glorious heritage and an inspiration to duty that will live long after their names are forgotten," the marshal said in 1928 at the 10th anniversary of the end of the war.
"France will never forget her debt to the heroic Irish dead, and in the hearts of the French people today their memory lives as that of the memory of the heroes of old, preserved in the tales that the old people tell to their children and their children's children."
He said that on the Somme, in 1916, he had seen the heroism of Irish men from the North and South. "I arrived on the scene shortly after the death of that very gallant Irish gentleman, Maj William Redmond. I saw Irishmen of the North and the South forget their age-long differences, and fight side by side, giving their lives freely for the common cause.
"Some of the flower of Irish chivalry rests in the cemeteries that have been reserved in France, and the French people will always have these reminders of the debt that France owes to Irish valour. We shall always see that the graves of these heroes from across the sea are lovingly tended, and we shall try to ensure that the generations that come after us shall never forget the heroic dead of Ireland."
Those dead will be officially commemorated at Islandbridge today when the President, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Taoiseach will lead the dignitaries at the ceremony in honour of the Irishmen who died in the battle.
A wreath will be laid by President McAleese and also by the ambassadors from all eight countries that took part in the battle - Britain, France, Germany, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, India and Australia. Nigel Hamilton, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, will lay a wreath as will a representative of the Royal British Legion.
Organisations established to honour the memory of those who served in disbanded Irish regiments, such as the Dublin Fusiliers and the Prince of Wales Leinster Regiment, will attend the ceremony, as will veteran organisations such as the Naval Association and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association.
The ceremony, which takes place at noon, will be open to the public and people wishing to attend should arrive at the War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge before 11am. Access for the public is via the St John of God centre entrance, which is the entrance closest to the South Circular Road/Con Colbert Road roundabout.
Limited seating will be available for the public and the disabled. Because of the confines of space, on-street car parking for the public will be possible on Chapelizod Road and in nearby Clancy Barracks. Very limited car parking will be available in the grounds.
