Humphreys to attend US Famine commemoration

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys is to attend the 6th International Famine Commemoration in the US.

Humphreys will spend five days in Atlanta, where she will visit the Seamus Heaney exhibition at Emory University and deliver a keynote address on the arts as a gateway to business at an event hosted by the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta.

Minister Humphreys will spend a further four days in New Orleans, where the 2014 International Famine Commemoration will begin on Thursday.

Irish emigrants developed a strong presence in New Orleans in the years following the Famine.