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Archbishops of Armagh conclude Somme Centenary Pilgrimage
The Archbishops of Armagh, the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke (Church of Ireland) and the Most Revd Eamon Martin (Roman Catholic Church), have concluded a special centenary pilgrimage which brought a cross-community delegation of young people from across the island of Ireland to significant sites at the Battle of the Somme.
The pilgrimage began on Wednesday 22nd June with a visit to Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, which included prayers and a time of reflection at the new Memorial Wall.
The Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke (Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh) and the Most Revd Eamon Martin (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh) pictured at the Irish Peace Park, Messines.
Members of the Church of Ireland and Catholic joint centenary pilgrimage pictured at the Irish Peace Park.
The group then travelled to the Somme where, on Thursday 23rd June, the pilgrims visited graveyards and memorials linked to the 36th Ulster Division and 16th Irish Division - including Thiepval Wood and Guillemont. The day concluded with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.
The Rt Revd John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher, pictured with Dillon Duffy and Victoria Bailey (from the Diocese of Clogher) at Guillemont Road Cemetery during the centenary pilgrimage to the Somme.
The Rt Revd John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher, at the grave of a Royal Inniskilling Fusilier in Guillemont Road Cemetery during the centenary pilgrimage to the Somme.
On Friday 24th June the group visited the site of the Christmas truce, Tyne Cot Cemetery and Essex Farm, near Ypres, before prayers and a time for reflection at Irish Peace Park, Messines. This was followed by a visit to the Memorial Museum at Passchendaele.
A visit to trenches at the site of the Christmas truce, near Ypres.