By Cate McCurry, PA
Ireland’s national day of commemoration for those who lost their lives to Covid-19 is to take place this Sunday.
The event, entitled the National Day of Remembrance and Reflection Ceremony, will take place in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.
The ceremony will remember all those who died during the pandemic and pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to the national effort to tackle the virus.
More than 6,600 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland since March 2020.
The ceremony will start at 2.30pm and will be televised live on RTÉ One, a government spokesman said.
It will feature a specially commissioned poem, along with reflections by a hospital chaplain and a representative of those bereaved.
Music will be provided by the National Ambulance Service, the Army No 1 Band, soloist Claudia Boyle, violinist Lynda O’Connor and cellist Gerald Peregrine, creator of Covid Care Concerts.
The majority of people invited to the event will be representative of those who have lost loved ones during the pandemic and those who worked on the frontline over the last two years, across all services.
During the ceremony representatives will lay wreaths in the cruciform pool.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and members of the government will attend.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who was scheduled to attend the event, will miss it as he is isolating in Washington DC following a positive Covid-19 test earlier this week.
In addition, in recognition of the pivotal role local authorities have played over the past two years, all local authorities have been requested to develop and host at least one ceremony at a suitable location over this weekend.
The national flag will be at half-mast on all state buildings equipped with a flagpole on the day of the ceremony.
