Messines : Island of Ireland Peace Park in autumn morning light

Memorial at Messines (Mesen) village in honour of  irish soldiers killed during World War One.

(Browse the collection : West Flanders Province time lapse and video stock footage)

The memorial site is dedicated to the soldiers of Ireland, of all political and religious beliefs, who died, were wounded or missing in the Great War of 1914-1918. Irish men and women served with the Armies of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.The memorial site is also known as the “Irish Peace Park” or the “Irish Peace Tower”. The tower was built as a symbol of reconciliation by An All-Ireland Journey of Reconciliation Trust and the support of the people of Messines (now called by its Flemish name Mesen). The design is that of a traditional Irish round tower dating back to the 8th century. It is 33.5 metres (110 feet) high. As part of the design the inside of the tower is lit up by the sun only on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This is the time at which the Armistice was declared and the guns fell silent on the Western Front after four years of fighting.

(Great War)

In the Irish Peace Park in Mesen, a round tower serves as a memorial in honour of Irishmen of all denominations who died during the First World War. The tower transcends religious and political differences, aspiring to be a symbol of reconciliation, not only for the past, but also for the present and the future. During the Battle of Messines, which started on 7 June 1917, the Catholic and Protestant Irish divisions fought side by side to gain the ridge on which the village of Wijtschate and the town of Mesen stand.

(Route You)

The Island of Ireland Peace Park was opened in 1998 by President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II. It remembers not only the Irishmen who died in the first World War, but also those who died in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

(Irish Times)