About
On a hillside at Ringfinnan, about four kilometres outside Kinsale on the southern side of the River Bandon, 343 trees stand in neat rows. Each one carries a name. Together they remember the 343 members of the Fire Department of the City of New York who died at the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, including their chaplain, Fr. Mychal Judge.
The garden is a living memorial. It was not commissioned by a government or a fire service. It began with one woman from Ringfinnan, near Kinsale.
Garden Gate Inscription
We Will Never Forget.
This Garden of Remembrance has been dedicated to the Loving Memory of Fr. Mychal Judge, part of the 343 Brave FDNY members who died so heroically in the line of duty at the Twin Towers Disaster on September 11th 2001 in New York.
Kathleen Murphy (1944 - 2011)
Senior Staff Nurse, Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC
The Vision of One Woman
Kathleen Cáit Murphy was born in Ringfinnan and spent the last forty years of her life in New York, where she worked as a senior staff nurse at Lenox Hill Hospital. Through that work she came to know members of the FDNY and became a friend of Fr Mychal Judge, the department’s chaplain.
On the morning of 11 September 2001 her hospital prepared to receive the injured. Very few came. Within weeks Kathleen had decided what she would do with the land at Ringfinnan she had been keeping for her retirement. She telephoned her second cousin, the Kinsale solicitor Virgil Horgan, and asked him to help her plant a tree for every firefighter who had died.
About fifty trees were in the ground by the end of 2001. The remainder were planted over the following winter, and the garden was formally opened in March 2002 by the then Minister for Agriculture, Joe Walsh. Kathleen Murphy died on 29 March 2011. A plaque at the garden marks her central role in realising this poignant and reflective space.
Over the years the garden has often been visited by many families and friends of the 343, as well as people from throughout the United States, Ireland, Europe and further afield. In addition, there have been numerous ceremonies held for various occasions and attended in the past by officials from the US and Irish governments along with elected representatives from Co. Cork. Among the many have been US Ambassadors to Ireland Kevin O’Malley, Claire Cronin and Edward Walsh and Irish Ministers Simon Coveney and Jack Chambers.
Native Irish Species
Oak, ash, birch, crab apple, hawthorn, willow, and Scots pine grow across the hillside, creating a vibrant living sanctuary.
A distinct ash tree honours FDNY chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge, whose family roots lie in Co. Leitrim.
Individual Tributes
Every tree is marked with an individual plaque bearing the firefighter’s name, unit, and an American flag.
Families, colleagues, and visitors regularly leave personal keepsakes, photos, and heartfelt prayers beneath the branches.
Central Memorial Area
A quiet focal point anchored by a headstone to founder Kathleen Murphy, surrounded by memorial benches donated by visiting groups.
Tributes include an FDNY Maltese Cross, a sculpture containing World Trade Centre steel, and a memorial to 9/11 first responders
A Sacred Sanctuary
Over the years, the garden has become a deeply personal place of pilgrimage. Relatives, friends, and fellow firefighters have travelled across the Atlantic from the United States to walk among the quiet rows, searching for a single name on a single tree. Visitors regularly leave prayers, photographs, flowers, and cherished keepsakes at the base of the trunks – tributes that remain undisturbed as living parts of the memorial.
Open to all throughout the year with no entry fee, the sanctuary continues to foster deep international bonds. Every autumn, a solemn commemoration service brings together representatives from the American Embassy, local civic leaders, clergy, and members of the community to bless the trees and ensure the memory of the 343 lives endures.
Deepening Ties
- August 2023: Over 70 serving and retired members of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums travelled to Kinsale. Members walked the rows to find individual trees, played at a service alongside Irish Defence Forces and emergency service personnel, and presented €5,000 towards the upkeep of the garden.
- September 2024: Close to one hundred serving and retired firefighters from New York, Cork City and Cork County cycled 225 miles over three days, from the United States Ambassador's residence in Dublin to Ringfinnan, stopping at seventeen fire stations along the way. The ride raised close to $150,000 for firefighters living with 9/11 related illness and injury.
Some of the memories bring a smile to your face in spite of the tears.
Remembrance Garden Timeline
11 September 2001
The Twin Towers Tragedy
343 FDNY firefighters and chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge are killed at the World Trade Center in New York.
October 2001
The memorial begins
Kathleen Cáit Murphy begins the memorial on her family land in Ringfinnan; approximately 50 trees planted.
March 2002
Official Opening
Planting completed; garden officially opened by Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh.
29 March 2011
Kathleen Murphy passes away
Kathleen Cáit Murphy passes away; commemorative plaque added.
11 September 2021
20th Anniversary
20th anniversary marked with international coverage.
24 August 2023
FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums Visit
70+ members of FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums visit and donate €5,000.
11 September 2024
Charity Cycle
100 firefighters complete 225-mile charity cycle from Dublin to Ringfinnan.