Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Nuclear Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On the 6th of August, we attended the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s annual commemoration in Merrion Square Park, marking 80 years since the United States bombed Hiroshima.
Together with members of the public, artists, diplomats and peace activists, we remembered all those whose lives were needlessly taken or forever affected by nuclear weapons and testing.
The ceremony featured powerful testimonies from Hibakusha, the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which were read by Barbara Comerford of Irish CND and Joe Murray of Afri. There was also moving music from Máire Ní Bheaglaíoch and Seán Dunne, poetry by Eriko Tsugawa, and reflections from Cllr John Stephens, Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Adi Roche of Irish CND and Chernobyl Children International, and Mr Norimasa Yoshida, Japanese Chargé d’Affaires.
The commemoration concluded with the laying of flowers, a minute of silence and music.
We hold close the words of Hibakusha Setsuko Thurlow:
“Each person had a name. Each person was loved by someone. Let us ensure that their deaths were not in vain.”
Watch the full video of this moving event here 