the great war commemoration weekend

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard among the guns below.

The Great War Commemoration Weekend Pilgrimages

• Day 1 05.00am check-in at Dublin airport for Aer Lingus flight to Brussels, departing at 06.40, arriving 09.25. Drive to Ypres in Flanders and check into hotel for 3 nights, dinner, bed & breakfast. This afternoon we visit the Bedford House Cemetery at Zillebeke, the New Zealand Memorial and the British Cemetery at Messines Ridge. Nearby is the Island of Ireland Peace Park, a memorial dedicated to the soldiers of Ireland who died, were wounded or missing in the great war of 1914-1918. The Irish Round Tower is 110 feet high - a symbol of reconciliation. The Peace Park was opened on 11th November 1998 by President Mary Mc Aleese in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and King Albert II of Belgium. Visit Messines Historical Museum. Continue to Ploegsteert Memorial which commemorates more than 11,000 servicemen, who died in the First World War and have no known grave. The Last Post is sounded here at 7pm on the first Friday of every month. After this, return to Ypres for dinner and overnight.
• Day 2 After breakfast, depart for the massive Tyne Cot Cemetery in Zonnebeke. This is the largest CWGC Cemetery with 11,953 burials. Here we see the memorials, the Cross of Sacrifice and the visitor centre. Drive to Vancouver Corner and the St Julien Canadian Memorial of the Brooding Soldier. Continue to the Dodengang �Trench of Death� near Diksmuide, a vivid reminder of the horrors of the war where we see the Trenches, Dug-outs, Chicanes, Duckboards, Revetments and Shelters held by the Belgian Army for 4 years. Return to Ypres. See the Cloth Hall, Grote Market Fountain, St Georges Memorial Church, Graves in the National Necropolis and the great Menin Gate. This magnificent monument bears the names of 54,000 officers and men, whose graves are not known. At 8pm every evening the Last Post is sounded here by members of the local fire service. Dinner at hotel.
• Day 3 This morning is free for Church Services. Our afternoon tour to the Battlefields starts at Kemmel Chateau Military cemetery where we see the French Memorial and the Belvedere Tower and visit the French & British cemeteries. After passing an American monument and a Demarcation Stone, we arrive at the German held Bayernwald Trenches where we see the Bunkers and Mineshafts. Visit also the Letternberg Bunkers, and the Locre Hospice cemetery. Return to Ypres for dinner.
• Day 4 Morning visits to the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres, the Kanaaldijk Site, the French Military Cemetery - St Charles de Potyse, the Passchendaele Memorial Museum and the Polygon Wood British Cemetery with the Australian and New Zealand memorials. Mid afternoon depart for Brussels airport.19.30 check-in for return Aer Lingus flight to Dublin, departing at 21.15, arriving at 21.50