[caption id="attachment_66812" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption=" U.S. Consul General Kamala Lakhdir layS flowers to commemorate the victims of 9/11 at a memorial in the grounds of Belfast City Hall"]
A service to remember those who died on 9/11 took place on the front lawn of Belfast City Hall on Sunday.
A one minute silence was observed at 13:46 p.m. to mark the local time that the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.
The service remembered all 2,977 victims of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Belfast Lord Mayor, Niall ó Donnghaile, was among those paying tribute and said the day recognized the strong links between Belfast and New York.
Relatives of victims and survivors of the attack were also present to pay their respects.
Louise Traynor from County Armagh had been working in the South Tower when the attack took place ten years ago.
"For anyone who lost their life that day, people I knew and people that I didn't - just for their families I would like to pay tribute and that they will never be forgotten by those who were and those who weren't there," she said.
A video message from Chief Edward Kilduff of the FDNY was played while the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg sent a written letter to thank the people of Belfast for their support and sympathy.
It his letter, Mr. Bloomberg spoke of Sunday's opening of the memorial at the site of the World Trade Center.
"Given how many of those we lost that day had connections to your land, it seems only fitting that the memorial stands just one block away from the Irish Hunger Memorial," Bloomberg wrote.
"Together, they will forever remind us of how indebted our city is to those who trace their roots to your shores.
"Today, as we reflect back on the horror and heroism of September 11th, let us remember not only how the Twin Towers fell, but how we rose up together-determined to defend our way of life and protect our freedoms.
"And as you pay tribute to those we lost, I join you in honoring their lives. I know we will find inspiration in their memories and in the spirit of unity that brings Belfast and New York together once again today."
The U.S. Consul General in Belfast, Kamala Lakhdhir delivered Mayor Bloomberg's letter to the people of Belfast.
"The letter acknowledges the tremendous ties and connections between Belfast and New York," she said.
"It talks about how this is a day to pay tribute to all those who were lost and honor their lives, but also to find inspiration in the memories of what happened, the heroism of the day, and that in a spirit of unity, this brings Belfast and New York together," she said.
