Archbishops joining forces for pilgrimage to battlefields
THE two archbishops of Armagh are to lead a cross-community pilgrimage of hope to one of the First World War’s bloodiest battlefields.
Archbishop Richard Clarke (right, top), of the Church of Ireland, and Archbishop Eamon Martin (below), of the Catholic Church, will lead a delegation to the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines, and will lay a peace wreath at the Menin Gate in Ypres.
In 2016, the two archbishops led young people from across the island of Ireland on a pilgrimage to the battle sites of the Somme.
From May 30 to
June 1 this year, the two archbishops will again lead a diverse group of people of varying ages and backgrounds and representing the Protestant and Catholic traditions to historic sites relating to the First World War, culminating in a reflective visit to the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines.
Their poignant journey heralds the forthcoming centenary of the end of the First World War.
The delegation of 36 people will include a core group of 16 young adults who, in visiting the battlefields and memorials, hope to forge friendships and share their thoughts and hopes for the future while exploring their cultural identities.
The sites on the pilgrimage will centre on the Battle of Messines and the arenas in which soldiers from the 16th (Irish), 10th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) divisions fought and died in Belgium and France .
The group will also visit the city of Kortrijk (Courtrai); cemeteries and memorials including Thiepval Wood, Guillemont and the Ulster Tower; the Memorial Museum at Passchendaele; and Tyne Cot Cemetery. Speaking in advance of their pilgrimage, the two archbishops said in a joint statement: “We will have much to learn from this joint trip, and from each other in the group.
“It is our vision that the pilgrimage will be a witness to hope and that the visits to these important and symbolic sites in the centenary year of the end of the First World War will enable us to forge even greater friendships and work yet harder for peace together in the future.” IRISH poet and novelist Sarah Crossan has been announced as fifth Laureate na nÓg, Ireland’s laureate for children’s literature.
The author of young adult books such as Apple and Rain, The Weight of Water and the award-winning verse novel One, recently toured schools in Northern Ireland entertaining more than 450 pupils with her poetry and reading extracts from her new book, Moonrise.
Sarah will hold the title of Laure- ate na nÓg until 2020 following yesterday’s announcement by Irish president Michael D Higgins.
Sarah’s theme as Laureate will be #WeAreThePoets, a two-year project inspiring young people to express themselves through poetry and verse.
She said: “Over my two-year term I want to show young people that poetry is an art form that truly belongs to them and therefore bring verse into their daily lives — to get them reading, writing and performing poems with passion.
“I will work with successful poets to bring verse alive, especially to those young people who may previously have felt art was not something they could own. I will create a social media campaign to involve as many young people from across the country as possible.”
The project is an initiative of the Republic’s Arts Council with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Children’s Books Ireland, The Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Poetry Ireland.