Commemorative plaque unveiled in James Bourchier's hometown in Ireland

published on 3/28/23 11:00 AM | updated on 3/28/23 11:11 PM

Photo: Embassy of Bulgaria in Ireland

A memorial plaque to journalist James Bourchier has been unveiled in his native town of Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland. The monument was placed on the initiative of the Bulgarian Embassy in Dublin. The black granite plaque with Bourchier's image is located on the façade of the Post Office in Bruff. The bilingual inscription tells about the work of the journalist.

Photo: Bulgarian Embassy in Ireland

The opening ceremony took place with speeches by the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Ireland Gergana Karadjova, Geoffrey Keating, the first Ambassador of Ireland accredited to Bulgaria, and Pat Heyes, Chairman of the Bruff Heritage Group.

Ambassador Karadjova pointed out that the new memorial for Bourchier in Ireland was yet another token of the excellent Bulgarian-Irish relations. She singled out the contribution to the development of the project by the authors of monographs on Bourchier - Petko Mangachev and Martin O'Brian and outlined his life path related to Bulgaria, his merits and his place in the collective memory of Bulgarians as a true friend of our country and the Bulgarian people, who won the gratitude and recognition of the Bulgarians with his reports and positions on the national issue in a critical historical moment.

Martin O'Brien presented an information board made by him with the main moments of Bourchier's life and presenting the complete collection of postage stamps issued in Bulgaria in his honour.

The event was a festive occasion for everyone in Bruff and was honoured by the Deputy Mayor of Limerick, city and county councillors from Limerick and Bruff, pupils from the town's primary and secondary schools. The former ambassadors of Ireland to Bulgaria Geoffrey Keating and Michael Forbes attended the event. The Bulgarian community in Ireland was represented by the principals of the Bulgarian Sunday schools in Dublin and Shannon and professors of Bulgarian language and culture in Trinity College, Dublin.

*James David Bourchier was Balkan correspondent of The Times. He lived and worked in Sofia from 1892 to 1915 and was one of the most prominent champions of the Bulgarian cause. Bourchier was among the most influential European journalists at that time. Some of his work related to the Balkans has been included in Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The information and photos are provided by the Embassy of Bulgaria in Ireland.

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