A memorial to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Air India plane crash in which 329 passengers and crew died in a terrorist explosion off the south west coast of Ireland, has taken place in west Cork.
Air India Flight 182 was en route from Montreal to New Delhi when a bomb exploded as it was flying off the southwest coast of Ireland on 23 June 1985, killing all on board.
Some 60 relatives of the victims were represented at the annual ceremony, which takes place in the village of Ahakista near Bantry, the nearest point on land to the crash site.
The ceremony at the memorial monument began with a minute's silence at 8.13am, the exact time the explosion occurred on Air India Flight 182.
It was following by tributes from the families and Hindu and Christian readings.
Afterwards, family members laid wreaths at the monument, which bears the names of all those who died.
They were joined by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Mayor of the County of Cork Councillor Joe Carroll, as well as dignitaries from both Canada and India.
The Taoiseach said: "Forty years on, we remember the 329 innocent lives lost in the skies above Ireland.
"Today we gather in solidarity with the families of those who were aboard Air India Flight 182. While we are brought together in sadness on this occasion, we also recognise the deep bonds of friendship that have grown between our communities and nations."
Mayor Carroll said everyone had come together "to remember those whose lives were so tragically cut short and to stand in solidarity with their families. This memorial in Ahakista is a symbol of our community's commitment to honouring their memory and ensuring that their loss is never forgotten."
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India's Ambassador to Ireland Akilesh Mishra, Canada's Ambassador to Ireland Dennis King, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York, Bob Rae and Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, along with India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Pur were also in attendance.
Members of the local community came to pay their respects as did Minister of State Jerry Buttimer, Cork County Council Chief Executive Moira Murrell, as well as representatives from the Irish Naval Service, An Garda Síochana, the Irish Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
The plane crash remains the worst aviation disaster in Irish and Canadian history and led to the biggest search and recovery operation ever mounted by the State.
A retired Irish Navy captain, who took part in the recovery operation, said he is still impacted today by what he witnessed in 1985.
James Robinson was the Lieutenant Commander on Le Aisling - one of five ships at the scene - said the vessel was fairly close to the Kerry coast when they picked up a radio message from Valencia to say a plane had gone missing from radar screens.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said the crew had been preparing for a rescue mission and were getting soup ready for survivors before they got to the scene, when they quickly realised the mission was going to be a recovery one.
At the time they just got on with the job, he said, and the enormity of what had taken place only dawned on them later.
I felt great pride in my crew, he said, they were young Irish people who did a remarkable job and asked for nothing in return.
(Photo: Kieran Minihan)
In Cork City, newly elected Lord Mayor of Cork Fergal Dennehy was among 60 people who attended a prayer service at the grave of a mother and daughter whose bodies were the only ones to be buried in Ireland in the aftermath of the explosion.
For the past 40 years, local man Finbarr Archer has visited and tended the graves of victims Annu Alexandra and her daughter Rena. The bodies of her husband and son were never recovered.
It was while working for a city undertaker tasked with documenting details of the 132 bodies recovered, that Mr Archer attended their funeral and realised that nobody had claimed them and they would have no-one to visit their graves.
"It is only something small, but it is a nice gesture for me and from the people of Cork."
Mr Archer was joined by members of the city's emergency services, as well as airport personnel, UN Veterans, local clergy and members of the city's Indian community.
