IN A LITTLE over six hours from now, the world will watch as New York City marks the exact moment of the 20-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre.
The 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in Manhattan, as well as on the Pentagon and the attempt on the Capitol that was thwarted by passengers on board, saw 2,977 people lose their lives, including six Irish citizens.
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which is located at the ground zero site, is holding a morning ceremony where the names of all the victims will be read aloud.
The ceremony will start with a moment of silence at 8.46am (1.46pm Irish time) to coincide with the moment 20 years ago that the first hijacked plane struck the north tower.
As the names are read out, additional moments of silence will be observed at the times when the south tower was hit, when the Pentagon was struck, when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania and finally when the towers fell.
After sunset, two beams of light will be projected into the sky to symbolise the two towers as part of the annual Tribute in Light, shining upwards from lower Manhattan until dawn.
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit the sites of three September 11 attacks: ground zero in Manhattan, the Pentagon in Virginia, and Shanksville in Pennsylvania.
Vice-President Kamala Harris will attend a separate event in Shanksville, which is where United Flight 93 was forced down, stopping the hijackers’ attempted attack on the Capitol, and later join the president at the Pentagon.
The Metropolitan Opera is set to play its first indoor performance for an audience since March 2020 with a rendition of the Messa da Requiem – a piece of music best known for being played at funerals and commemorations.
In Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 Memorial will stream a virtual remembrance ceremony from 9.45am (2.45pm Irish time). Eighteen minutes later, at the time the flight crashed, the names of the 40 victims will be read and two large bells known as the Bells of Remembrance will be rung.
Around the States, 60 communities will be taking part in the “9/11 Flag of Honour Across America Memorial” by raising a flag and reading out the names of the victims.
Additionally, local hospitals and health centres around the country are holding blood drives to remember the lives lost and encourage people to save lives through blood donation.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney visited the 9/11 memorial and museum in New York on Thursday, where he laid a wreath at the Survivor Tree in memory of the victims.
Coveney was in New York to chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which Ireland holds the presidency of for September, and the members of the Council gathered at the memorial alongside Ireland’s Defence Forces Chief of Staff Mark Mellett and Helena Nolan, Ireland’s Consul General in New York.
Back in Dublin, the US Embassy held a memorial for the victims and first responders at the ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park on Thursday.
Chargé d’Affaires Alexandra McKnight and Dublin Fire Brigade Acting Chief Officer Dennis Keeley laid a wreath in front of a memorial that was installed in 2002 and includes a piece of steel from the World Trade Centre.
In Cork, Mayor Gillian Coughlan led a memorial tribute alongside members of the Cork County Fire Service on Thursday for the New York firefighters who died in the attacks.
A wreath was laid at the Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance near Kinsale, which was created by Kinsale native Kathleen Murphy who worked as a nurse in New York for over 30 years.
Internationally, countries around the world will mark the anniversary by remembering the victims, especially citizens or citizens’ relatives who died in the attacks.
The September 11 Memorial Garden in London is holding a private remembrance service for family members of those who died, which will include laying white roses on the inscription stone in the garden.
Afterwards, a candlelight memorial will be open to the public from sunset until the garden closes at 8pm.
The Canadian town of Gander, where 38 diverted planes landed while US airspace was closed, is unveiling a monument featuring a piece of steel from the World Trade Centre
The town’s community centre will livestream a commemoration service with tributes from local performers.
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