Commemorative Community Service

The Inniskillings Museum and four churches on the island of Enniskillen will come together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a special Service of Peace. Enniskillen’s Service of Peace will reflect our shared journey towards reconciliation and hope for future generations. The Service of Peace will take place across two churches, commencing at 7.30pm in St Macartin’s Cathedral. The congregation will move across to St Michael’s Church to continue the service at approximately 7.50pm. A spectacular parade of 80 pipers and drummers from local areas, co-ordinated by Cecil Jones, will form a community-massed band to support the event. The band will parade through the town, arriving at Church Street by 8.45pm. An invitation is open to all pipers and drummers who wish to participate in the parade. A significant element of the commemorative service will feature the lanterns of peace. These lanterns, in line with the official VE Day 80 promotion of “Lamping Lights of Peace”, will light the way from St Michael’s Church back to St Macartin’s Cathedral for the lighting of the ceremonial beacon by Viscount Brookeborough, Lord Lieutenant for County Fermanagh, at 9pm. The beacon will serve as a symbol of hope, representing the light that emerged from the darkness of war. Enniskillen’s Service of Peace is open to all, and we welcome our community members and visitors to join us in marking this historic occasion.