1916 stone unveiled in Clonroche park
A 1916 COMMEMORATIVE stone was unveiled last Wednesday evening in the beautifully manicured Millennium Park in Clonroche at a remembrance ceremony.
A well-drilled colour party, ten in number, one of them a woman, marched two abreast up through the village towards the park, led by Joe O’Brien from Enniscorthy bearing the national tricolour. A rendition of ‘Mise Éire’ on the uillean pipes by local musician Eanna Harrington marked the start of the event, the colour party having marched into the park and formed a guard of honour at the recently erected 1916-2016 commemorative stone.
Clonroche Development Association vice-chairman Joe Kehoe welcomed everyone and told of the work involved in this event.
Mr Kehoe thanked the person who donated the stone and all who contributed to the efforts to source the stone, namely Bill Murray, Martin Kelly and Tom Furlong, the Fás workers, Mick Cogley, Mick Delahunty and Darren Buckley.
MC for evening, Tom Furlong, addressed the gathering in Irish and English. He called for the tricolour to be taken to half-mast for the ceremony and Darren Buckley obliged. The commemorative stone was unveiled and Fr Bernard Cushen who said prayers for all those who died in 1916 and blessed the stone.
Cllr John Fleming paid tribute to the brave men and women of 1916. He hoped the stone would get the respect it deserved and would not be vandalised. Tom Furlong then read the 1916 ‘Proclamation of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic to the People of Ireland’ after which local national school pupil Eryn Buckley gave a lovely rendition of ‘Grace’ accompanied on tin whistle by another school mate Jamie Cummins.
A laurel wreath was laid at the stone by committe member Diarmuid O’Sullivan.
Mr Kehoe informed the attendance that ‘ The Spirit of Freedom’ – the 1916 show which was performed to great acclaim earlier in year in Clonroche Community Centre – would be returning to Clonroche for a three night run in the Autumn. Everyone enjoyed refreshments at the Millenium Park afterwards.