Members of the Government will attend a National Day of Remembrance and Reflection Ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance this afternoon.
Members of the Government will attend a National Day of Remembrance and Reflection Ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance this afternoon.
Over 6,600 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 since March 2020.
The ceremony will start at 2.30pm and will be televised live on RTÉ One.
It will feature a specially commissioned poem, along with reflections by a hospital chaplain. 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
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will be among those in attendance, while Taoiseach Micheal Martin continues to isolate in Washington DC after contracting the virus.
The Taoiseach has expressed his disappointment at his absence, but said Ireland should take comfort in the firmness of our national response.
As well as remembering those who passed away, tributes will be paid to frontline staff around the country who gave countless hours to protect the people of Ireland.
The national flag will be at half-mast on all state buildings equipped with a flagpole on the day of the ceremony.
There will also be a second commemoration occurring today in Áras an Uachtaráin hosted by President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina.
President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to frontline and emergency workers as the country marks a national day of commemoration for all those who died from Covid-19.
Entitled To Honour And Hold in Memory, the event is being held for all those who died with Covid-19, those grieving the loss of loved ones and frontline workers.
As part of the ceremony, Mr Higgins and his wife will plant an oak tree in the Commemorative Garden as a lasting memorial to all those lost during the pandemic.