Mac Con Iomaire in Famine Walk event

WEXFORD-BASED musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire took part in an online event organised in place of the iconic Famine Walk in Louisburgh, County Mayo, which was cancelled due to Covid-19.

The walk, organised by the peace and justice organisation Afri, has been a popular event attended by hundreds of people each year since 1988.

The organisers marked the spirit of the event through a free ‘Virtual Famine Walk’ featuring conversation and music that was livestreamed online last weekend. One of the guest musicians was the Wexford-based violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire.

‘As generous donations continue to flow this week from Ireland to the Navajo and Hopi Nations we are once again reminded of the living legacy of our ‘Great Hunger’. There are many aspects to this legacy. To know where we are from and what happened to us is key in plotting a way forward in the time we now find ourselves in. I’m happy to be a part of this very important conversation’, he said.

The Afri virtual Famine Walk was supported by Irish Aid, Concern and Trócaire and featured guests from different locations around Ireland. It was broadcast on the Afri – Action from Ireland Facebook page and on Afri’s YouTube channel, and was hosted by campaigner and author of Hitching for Hope, Ruairí McKiernan.

Afri is encouraging people to consider fundraising and supporting Afri in whatever way they can. For more information see www.afri.ie.