President Higgins inspected the 28th Infantry Battalion Guard of Honour before his address to the assembled guests.

The President said that the site of the old workhouse in Milford was a fitting setting to pay tribute to the plight of the people of Donegal in the face of poverty, hunger and emigration during the 19th century. He added that the parallels with the mass displacement caused by the famine 175 years ago must not leave us.

Minister of State Jack Chambers commented, "it is particularly fitting that today's event takes place here in Donegal, where the impact of the Famine and its associated emigration have shaped the lives of its people for generations." Furthermore, “today is also an opportunity to recognise the courage and determination of those who were forced to leave these shores."

For the people of Donegal, the event was seen as an opportunity to reflect and remember all those who suffered or perished during the famine. An estimated 40,000 people died or emigrated from the area between 1846 and 1851.