Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Commemorative plaque unveiled in James Bourchier's hometown in Ireland

| 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.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Exquisitely engraved vessels and finely crafted idols - Kozareva mound reveals its secrets

The findings from the archaeological excavations of Kozareva mound - a settlement from the 5th millennium BC , became a real sensation already in 2014, when they were presented to the general public for the first time. Among the exquisite exhibits of..

published on 9/7/24 6:05 AM
Prof. Ivan Ilchev

The Greatness of Bulgaria’s Unification and the Consequences of the Unionist Syndrome

On September 6, 1885, Bulgaria again became a unified state. In an interview with Radio Bulgaria, history professor from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Ivan Ilchev tells us more about the factors that led to the Unification, when the..

published on 9/6/24 11:25 AM
The Monument of Unification in Plovdiv

Unification Day is a celebration of national unity and community

For Bulgarians, who cherish and honour the memory of their ancestors, 6 September symbolises the unification of their nation, which endured five centuries of Ottoman oppression while preserving its faith and identity. After the liberation of Bulgaria..

published on 9/6/24 7:15 AM