Press Releases01 Jun 18

Pilgrimage of hope concludes at Tyne Cot

The cross–community pilgrimage of hope, led by the Archbishops of Armagh, concluded on Friday afternoon with visits to the Memorial Museum, at Passchendaele, Langemark German Cemetery and Tyne Cot Cemetery.

A final reflection, at Tyne Cot, was led by Archbishop Eamon Martin. The Revd Elizabeth Cairns and Adam Magowan visited the last resting place of a parishioner from Mullavilly Parish, Private R McGeown. Archbishop Martin remembered Fr Willie Doyle MC whose name is recorded on a memorial within the cemetery.

This followed visits to the Island of Ireland Peace Park, at Messines, earlier in the day and the pilgrims’ attendance at the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony, in Ypres, on Thursday evening. The pilgrimage also included visits to Kortrijk, on Wednesday, and the cemeteries and memorials at Thiepval and Guillemont – associated with the Battle of the Somme – on Thursday.

The group of pilgrims comprises 36 people of varying ages and backgrounds and representing the Protestant and Catholic traditions, including a core group of 16 young adults, who in visiting the war sites and memorials will be able to forge friendships and share their thoughts and hopes for the future while exploring their cultural identities. Archbishops Richard Clarke and Eamon Martin previously led a cross–community delegation of young people from across the island of Ireland to the battle sites of the Somme two years ago; the current pilgrimage marks the upcoming centenary of the end of the First World War.

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has provided generous financial support to enable the group of young people to journey with the Archbishops on this pilgrimage.

A selection of photos from the pilgrimage is available in the gallery below: