British-Irish event to mark centenary of historic battle

THE centenary of the Battle of Messines Ridge, where unionist and nationalist soldiers from Ireland fought side by side, is to be marked by a joint UK-Irish ceremony.

The event will take place at the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines in Flanders, Belgium, on June 7. Noting the “historic and symbolic” signif- icance of the event, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said the UK and Irish governments are committed to working together to deliver a shared ceremony of commemoration. Members of the public wishing to express an interest in attending should go to: https://www.gov. uk/government/news/shareduk-ireland-commemorationannounced-for-the-battle-ofmessines-ridge