A temporary installation entitled ‘The Fallen’ which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, was launched in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, on November 1 2018. The installation will continue until December 1.
The moving and visually stunning installation is made up of 36,000 leaves suspended on wires from the ceiling. Each leaf represents a life lost in the First World War. The initiative was spearheaded by the cathedral’s education department and supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Four years ago a Tree of Remembrance was erected in St Patrick’s marking the centenary of the start of the war. People were invited to leave a message, written on a leaf, in memory of someone who had died as a result of conflict. A total of 220,000 messages were placed on or at the tree – the same number as the number of Irish people who participated in World War I. Of these, 36,000 were randomly selected and a group, led by artist Ciara Ní Cheallachán who came up with the concept, threaded them onto wires.