NEXT year’s National Famine Commemoration will take place in Co. Galway it was revealed today.
Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan confirmed that Ireland's annual memorial commemorating the lives lost and those forced to emigrate due to the Famine will take place in Portumna in 2026.
The event will be held at the Irish Workhouse Centre, located within the Portumna Workhouse complex, which is one of the most complete workhouse sites still in existence in Ireland.
It will mark the first time the state commemoration ceremony has taken place in county Galway and the programme will include military honours before culminating in a wreath-laying ceremony.
The National Famine Commemoration 2026 will take place at the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna“Today, it is with a deep sense of solemnity and respect that I announce Portumna, Co. Galway, as the location for the 2026 National Famine Commemoration,” Minister O’Donovan said.
“The Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna stands on a site of immense historical significance, a place that bears direct witness to the hardship, loss, and upheaval experienced arising from An Gorta Mór,” he added.
“As one of the best-preserved workhouse complexes in the country, it offers a uniquely fitting setting for reflection on one of the most defining and tragic periods in our nation’s history,” he explained.
“Having hosted both the National and International Famine Commemorations earlier this year, I have been deeply moved by the impact of this solemn event on local communities and we look forward to working closely with Galway County Council, the Irish Workhouse Centre and the people of Portumna and East Galway in the lead-in to next year’s event.”
The National Famine Commemoration, which was established in 2008, rotates by province each year.
Portumna was selected by the National Famine Commemoration Committee following a call to the local authorities in Connacht in September.
Established in 1852, as part of Ireland's Poor Law Union system, which was introduced to alleviate the widespread poverty and devastation caused by the Famine, the Portumna Workhouse was designed by George Wilkinson.
Built on a nine-acre site north of Portumna town, the facility was constructed to accommodate 600 inmates.
The workhouse system, which was modelled on a similar system in England, offered indoor relief to those unable to support themselves.
Inmates received food and shelter in exchange for labour, but conditions were deliberately harsh to discourage dependency.
Families entering the workhouse were segregated by gender and age, with only children aged under two allowed to remain with their mothers.
See More: Commemoration, Famine, Galway, Ireland, Portumna
