Ledwidge committee look back on a great year of events

THE committee of the Francis Ledwidge Museum Committee could be immensely proud of the way it had delivered on the ambitious programme of events during 2017 to mark the centenary of the death of poet Francis Ledwidge, the outgoing chairperson told the annual general meeting of the committee held at Slane Credit Union.

Rosemary Yore said that the committee had engaged with Meath County Council at an early stage leading up to the start of the centenary year and she thanked Cllr Tom Kelly, former Cathaoirleach of the Laytown-Bettystown Municipal District for allowing the Ledwidge committee to “give a pitch” to councillors requesting funding. Meath County Council ought to be given enormous credit for the way that it had embraced the plans for the year and co-operated fully with the Ledwidge committee, Ms Yore said.

The council had also had a commemorative grant scheme whereby local communities obtained grants for hosting even ts with a Ledwidge theme and this had been a great success. There had been events countywide – in Slane, Trim, Kells, Wilkinstown, to name a few.

When the committee had sought funding, the council had been a great help but there had also been generous sponsorship from local businesses and individuals. Funding had also been received from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for preparation work at the museum for the State commemoration held there. Cllr Wayne Harding had donated e1,000 to the committee and was currently giving us a further e1,000 towards security measures. This councillor had also been responsible for encouraging the county council to fund a statue of Ledwidge, which was now in place and was the pride of the village, Ms Yore said. Cllr Tom Kelly had “very kindly” donated e2,500 for the conservation of the original Ledwidge letters and documents which are now in storage.

The outgoing chairperson outlined the very successful programme of events during the year, which included a 10-day festival organised by community groups supported by many local businesses. One of the outstanding features of the year was the installation of the mural of Francis Ledwidge on the wall of Mr Sean Redmond’s home and Ms Yore thanked him for his generosity in allowing it to be placed there. She also acknowledged the work of Darragh Kerriagn who had voluntarily designed a special logo for the centenary year. An Post was also thanked for the issuing of a special commemorative postage stamp.

There had been a myriad of events during the year and admission had been free on every occasion except for the Poetry Dinner in the Conyngham Arms Hotel and the Gala Concert at the Church of Ireland. Videos of a number of events, including a visit to the poet’s grave in Belgium in July, were provided by Brian McIvor. These are available on YouTube, as is a video of the unveiling of the Ledwidge statue. MEP Mairead McGuinness was thanked for hosting a welcome for the party in Brussels. A major seminar had been held at Slane Castle in October.

“The festival helped to heighten awareness at local, national and international levels of Francis Ledwidge as a poet, a soldier and a nationalist. It created a strong sense of local pride in the various groups and increased the esteem and pride of place in Slane village. Hosting a festival was a daunting task for a small group such as the Francis Ledwidge Museum Committee – we have had experience hosting single events over the years but nothing on the scale of this event”, Ms Yore said.

Elections: The following officers were elected – Chairperson Collette McDonnell, Vice- Chairperson Terry Wogan, Secretary/ PRO Paul Murphy, Assistant Secretary Eileen Hogan, Treasurer Paul Mongey.