15.06.2016
Centenary Commemorations for the Battle of the Somme
The Centenary Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme happens over the first weekend in July. Many parish churches in the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough have memorials to those who fought and died in the First World War and a number of these may have been in the Battle of the Somme.
Archbishop Michael Jackson is encouraging parishes throughout the dioceses to remember those who died in the Battle of the Somme over the first weekend in July. The Liturgical Advisory Committee of the Church of Ireland has produced a suggested act of worship for use across the Church of Ireland. It is available to download at:
http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/archive/pdf/Worship/Cent/Sommecard160105.pdf
“The decade of commemorations has enabled us in the Church of Ireland to identify a rich diversity of people who have contributed to our understanding of the Ireland of 1916 and by extension to the Ireland of today. I would encourage you to consider using the LAC service as part of your Sunday worship on Sunday July 3,” the Archbishop said.
He is also requesting that anyone with parishioners who would like to share stories and memorabilia associated with the Somme and World War 1 to contact Lynn Glanville, Diocesan Communications Officer for Dublin and Glendalough at dco@dublin.anglican.org.
The Battle of the Somme ran from July 1 1916 to November 18 1916. Researcher Patrick Hugh Lynch has extracted information on people from the island of Ireland who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and during the month of July 1916. The information, which includes the area from which the soldiers came, can be accessed at the following links: 1 July 1916 and July 1916.