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We have built it!

Thanks to your support, Glasgow can finally be counted among the diaspora cities with a dedicated memorial to our ancestors who died and were displaced by An Gorta Mór.

Hundreds of supporters enjoyed glorious sunshine as Jane McCulloch, Consul General of Ireland, and Eddie Marley, representing the parish of St Mary’s where the monument stands, unveiled the memorial yesterday.

The monument in the grounds of St Mary’s

Created by Donegal sculptor John McCarron, ‘The Tower of Silence’ combines a stainless steel column representing the industrial city of Glasgow with steel patchwork echoing the stone cabins the rural Irish were forced to leave. Semi-abstract steel figures on top of the column show the desperation of those who fled to these shores, often carrying nothing but themselves and their children. The column contains the final verse of the poem ‘The Stricken Land’ written in 1847 by Lady Jane Wilde under the name ‘Speranza’.

Detail from the column showing the extract from ‘The Stricken Land’

Live stream replay and programmes still available

A full replay of the live stream of the unveiling ceremony will be available at www.westreamitservices.co.uk/mor for the next 27 days.

The memorial is in the grounds of St Mary’s church in Abercromby Street, Glasgow and can be seen from the pavement whether the church is open or closed. When the church is open, the last remaining programmes will be on sale.

This is your memorial. You have built it

None of this – not the moving occasion of the unveiling or the permanent memorial to honour our ancestors – would have been possible without your support.

You have ensured long overdue recognition for the dead, the displaced, the desperate. And for the contributions of their descendants.

From Coiste Cuimhneachain An Gorta Mór, thank you.

4 thoughts on “We have built it!”

  1. Well done to all the people who have dedicated their time to honour the good honest proud people of Ireland, my Irish parents loved their time in Scotland and we have a massive family here in Glasgow and Edinburgh. God bless you all 🍀

  2. A great day for the Irish and wonderful memorial to our love ones who have gone before us thanks to all and your hard work mc clorey family

  3. I cannot tell you how proud and honoured we felt to witnesd of such a momentous and long overdue event! Congratulations to all of those who worked tirelessly to make this a reality!

  4. Well done to all involved in this wonderful memorial.
    Incidentally, it is just over twenty years since a similar monument was unveiled at Carfin grotto in Lanarkshire.
    We must never forget what our forebears suffered because of racism.

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