The Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, has paid warm tribute to the Irish Army which for the first time sent a senior officer to the Somme commemorations in France to honour the soldiers from northern and southern Ireland, and all the soldiers, who died in the battle.
Col Fergus Bushell joined Mr Murphy, British, French and German representatives as well as unionists and nationalists at the Somme ceremonies in France on Thursday and also attended a lunch organised by the Somme Association of Northern Ireland.
In recent years the Army has attended ceremonies commemorating Irish soldiers who lost their lives in the first World War. But this is the first time it attended a commemoration of the Battle of the Somme, which has particularly deep resonance for Northern unionists and Protestants, notwithstanding that many Catholics were members of the Ulster Division as well.
About 50 people attended the association's lunch and when Mr Murphy referred to Col Bushell's presence he was accorded a spontaneous round of applause.
Col Bushell, who was in uniform, laid wreaths at the main ceremony and also at the Ulster Tower at Thiepval, which honours the soldiers of the 36th Ulster Division who died in the battle, and at the Celtic Cross memorial at Guillemont, which honours the soldiers of the 16th Irish Division who died.
The Ulster Division suffered about 6,000 casualties on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1st, 1916, while the Irish Division endured about 5,000 casualties when it entered the battle on September 3rd, 1916. An estimated 12,000 soldiers from the island of Ireland were killed and wounded in the battle which lasted from July 1st to November 20th, 1916.
Over one million soldiers, including German soldiers, died at the Somme.
Mr Murphy said Col Bushell's presence was a significant development, and should be deeply appreciated by everyone throughout Ireland "who lost fathers or grandfathers or great grandfathers and are still haunted in some way by the Battle of the Somme.
"I see Col Bushell's presence as a tremendous development in terms of understanding our common past, and is a fitting tribute to the men who died."
Col Bushell, a member of the Defence Force's EU military staff, said he was proud and honoured to have attended the ceremonies.
