Introduction du Memorial France-Irlande par president Hollande

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on the occasion of Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 2016:



Aujourd’hui, la France et l’Irlande sont réunies dans le souvenir du sang versé ensemble pour la liberté. Ce monument que nous inaugurons est le symbole de la mémoire partagée entre nos deux pays et le témoignage de l’hommage de la France aux Irlandaises et Irlandais qui se sont sacrifiés pour elle.

Aujourd’hui, nous retrouvons le souvenir de cette fraternité d’armes que nos aînés ont partagée dans les guerres du siècle dernier, à l’occasion du centenaire de la bataille de la Somme que nous avons commémoré en rendant hommage aux plus de 200 000 Irlandais venus du monde entier, engagés dans la Grande Guerre.

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En France, le 11 novembre, journée d’hommage à tous les morts pour la France, est aussi l’occasion d’avoir une pensée pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui sont venus du monde entier pour combattre sur nos terres.

Aujourd’hui, autour de ce monument, nous adressons à nos amis irlandais un message de profond remerciement et d’éternel souvenir.

François Hollande

publié le 07/11/2016

http://www.ambafrance-ie.org/Introduction-du-Memorial-France-Irlande-par-le-president-de-la-Republique

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1. Francois Hollande: France's gratitude to Ireland will be set in stone

New memorial in Glasnevin Cemetery pays tribute to the soldiers who died in France.

Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 10:00
François Hollande

The day after the terrorist attack which struck the city of Nice on July 14th, 2016, Ireland immediately expressed its solidarity with my country, France. A few days later, when I visited Dublin, Taoiseach Enda Kenny reiterated to me this message of friendship. In the face of the barbarity that targeted us, the strength of our democracies lies in being able to unite to defend the values that bring us together: freedom, tolerance and respect for human dignity. That is why we reaffirmed then, together, the need for a genuinely European policy to combat the global threat of terrorism.

France has been especially touched by the expressions of support Ireland has sent it during the difficult times it has undergone in the past two years because of terrorism. The relationship between our two countries is not only an economic, scientific and cultural relationship, it is first and foremost the profound relationship between two peoples united by common reference points and by a shared history of struggles and sacrifices which today forms the unshakeable foundation of their friendship. Since 2014, the Great War centenary has provided us with an opportunity to revisit one of the crucial moments in that relationship, when more than 200,000 Irish combatants from all over the world enlisted in the Great War and fought alongside French soldiers for the same cause. Tribute has been paid to them in major commemorations in France, especially this year, 2016, the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

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As Ireland prepares to experience its day of remembrance, today – November 11th – is the day France pays its respects to all the soldiers who have died for it since the Great War. It is an opportunity for each of us to think of all the combatants who crossed the oceans in centuries past to fight on French soil, many of whom never returned. By also awarding the Légion d’Honneur to the Irish veterans who helped defend and liberate France during the second World War, I wanted to express the gratitude of the French people. By recalling this shared history of the blood we shed together, we will help others understand the purpose of the joint commitment we French and Irish have to the Middle East and Africa, to people under threat, so that peace, freedom and human rights triumph.

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A hundred years ago, the young people of France and Ireland fought alongside one another in muddy trenches to defend their ideals. Today, it is Europe that is calling on them. A Europe which, through their courage, generosity and faith in the future, the young people of France and Ireland will be able to make more democratic and more mutually supportive, furthering progress more than ever. This is the message of November 11th. It is what lies behind the shared memory of France and Ireland.

François Hollande is president of the French Republic.

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/françois-hollande-france-s-gratitude-to-ireland-will-be-set-in-stone-1.2863113