A Master engraver with Waterford Crystal has described his commission to design and sculpt a tribute to 16 survivors of 9/11 as an honor.

American ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney was presented with Miracle On Stairwell B by sculptor Sean Egan at a memorial service in Dublin.

The specially commissioned work will be passed on to the City of New York by Ambassador Rooney and contains an actual piece of rubble from the World Trade Center.

According to Egan, his piece depicts the remarkable story of the group of 16 people trapped inside a stairwell who survived the collapse of the North Tower.

Egan also worked on the 9/11 Tribute piece which captured the iconic photo of US firemen and police officers carrying the body of Irish American priest Fr Mychal Judge from the ruins of the World Trade Center.

“It’s an honor to be involved in events to mark this anniversary,” said Egan.

Retired police officer Lt William Cosgrave, one of those who carried Fr Judge’s body, was also honored at the special event in Dublin’s RDS hosted by Ambassador Rooney.

Irish-American Cosgrave attended the memorial with fire officers Michael and Thomas O’Rourke and Dan Daly, all heroes of the 9/11 rescue efforts.

Lt Cosgrave told the Dublin gathering: “The true legacy of 9/11 is the continuing hope and support received from around the world, including Ireland. You don’t know how important that is to us.”

The four officers received a standing ovation at the Dublin event before Ambassador Rooney’s wife Patricia read a poem written by US Poet Laureate Billy Collins soon after the attacks. Called The Names.

The Soul Steps Dance Troupe from New York City closed the event with a special step dance performance entitled ‘Stepping In Remembrance: The Beat Goes On’.