Hundreds of people, including schoolchildren from around the country, have attended a ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day at the Mansion House in Dublin.
The keynote speaker was Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who said that we should educate ourselves about the Holocaust so we can prevent such horrors happening again.
Mr Varadkar said it was important to understand how the Jewish people became victims, so we can intervene when other groups are being victimised due to racism or discrimination.
The ceremony, organised by the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland, included readings and survivors’ stories.
Tomi Reichental, one of three Holocaust survivors living in Ireland, shared his experiences with the gathering, recounting the horror he witnessed in Bergen Belsen as a nine year old boy.
Six candles were lit, symbolising the six million Jewish people who were killed in the Holocaust.
Eibhlin Byrne, chairperson of HETI, said it is important to remember that the Holocaust was allowed to happen because those who cared, ‘did not care enough.’
