A group of New York firefighters will travel to Ireland next week to visit an Irish memorial dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The FDNY Emerald Society Pipe & Drums will visit the Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance in Kinsale, Cork, on August 24. The visit will take place shortly before the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which claimed the lives of more than 2,600 people.
The society will "honor the memory of the 343 Firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11" during the visit to Ireland and will also remember "their beloved Chaplain Mychal Judge and also Durrell “Bronco” Pearsall".
"The Emerald Society Pipes and Drums NY FD wish to highlight and bring attention to the Remembrance Garden, highlighting its significance & its maintenance as a “living” memorial," the society said in a statement.
The statement added that roughly 100 active and retired firefighters and their relatives would be making the trip, including some firefighters who responded to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Speaking of the planned visit to the Remembrance Garden, the statement noted that it would be "an emotional part of the trip".
It added that each tree in the garden bears a nameplate honoring each firefighter that perished on 9/11.
The society, which is celebrating its 61st year, played at funerals or memorials for every firefighter who died on 9/11.
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The group will also visit the White House in Kinsale for a presentation on Irish recipients of the Medal of Honor, including Michael Gibbons, who received the medal for his service during the Spanish-American War of 1898.
They will then travel to Dublin for a banquet in Dublin Castle on the evening of August 24 before performing at the National Stadium ahead of a match between the FDNY Boxing Team and the Garda Síochána team.
The society will also be in attendance at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium on August 26 when Notre Dame renew their rivalry with Navy.
The group will conclude their trip with a catch-up with their colleagues in the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipes & Drums on Sunday, August 27, before returning to New York.
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