Emotional event remembers people we lost during Covid
Tim Doyle (Tin Whistle & Pipes), Orla Cunningham (Keyboard), Deirdre Ni Chinnéide (Singer), Victory Luke (Poet), Lauren Heraty (Representative from Bereavement Network), Claire Sherry (Violin), Colm Keegan (Poet), Cllr Alan Edge and John Caffrey (Guitar) at the Ceremony of Remembrance event at Clondalkin Round Tower

Emotional event remembers people we lost during Covid

AN EMOTIONAL event commemorating the people who lost their lives to Covid was held at the Round Tower Visitor Centre in Clondalkin on Saturday afternoon.

The event featured music and poetry readings, and a particularly affecting talk by local woman Lauren Heraty, whose father, Sean passed away in January 2021 after contracting the virus.

Mayor Peter Kavanagh, who organised the event, was scheduled to speak at it but was unable to attend, as he had tested positive for Covid and was in his sixth day of isolation when it took place.

“It’s important to mark the impact of Covid,” Mayor Kavanagh told The Echo. “We have to remember the people who are no longer with us, as we return to a semblance of normality.

“I think it’s important to centre the voices of the victims of Covid, and to know that they haven’t been left behind and we remember them.”

As he was unable to attend, Mayor Kavanagh deputised to Independent councillor Alan Edge, who spoke at the event and praised the musicians and poets who performed.

“I was deeply honoured to represent the Mayor at Saturday’s Ceremony of Remembrance, Thanks and Reflection at the Round Tower in Clondalkin,” Cllr Edge told The Echo.

“There were poignant musical tributes from John Caffrey, who performed a piece called Dóchas which he composed during lockdown, singer Deirdre Ní Chinnéide, Tim Doyle on the pipes and Claire Sherry on violin. There was also beautiful poetry from Colm Keegan and Victory Luke.

“Lauren Heraty of the Bereavement Network attended with members of her family and gave a heartfelt tribute to her father, Sean, who died during the pandemic.

“She reminded everyone that the people lost were more than just the statistics issued every day on the news – they were parents, grandparents, children, siblings and friends.

“I paid thanks to all those on the frontline who put themselves at risk, from medical staff and public servants, to volunteers staffing the testing and vaccination centres, to those working in shops to keep the supply chains going, to teachers and SNAs, for whom social distancing often wasn’t an option.

“We also remembered the sacrifices made by people throughout the county – those who experienced loneliness, those who shuttered their businesses to stop the spread of the virus, those who missed family milestones and those who missed precious time with loved ones, all for the greater good.

“I expressed the hope that our remembrance of those we lost and our gratitude to those on the frontline will guide the way for us to be more compassionate and more humane towards each other as we navigate an anxious and uncertain post-pandemic world.”

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