A very special honour
Thomas F. Meagher is being honoured with a plaque at the Washington Monument, writes Anita Guidera
No country’s history is more interwoven with the United States than Ireland and no individual epitomises the struggle for independence in both countries more than Thomas Francis Meagher, the creator of the Irish tricolour.
Thus was the case made by Senator Mark Daly, the spokesperson for Irish overseas and Diaspora, for Ireland to be given recognition in the iconic Washington Monument alongside the 193 commemorative and memorial stones from the USA and 16 foreign countries.
And who more appropriate to be singled out for special mention than the Waterfordborn Young Irelander, who flew the first Irish tricolour during the rebellion of 1848, was a Civil War general in the New York 69th Regiment of the Irish Brigade in the Union Army and later became Governor of Montana?
“Of the millions of Irish Americans who connect the two countries, Thomas Meagher epitomises the struggle for independence in both,” explains Senator Daly.
As a child visiting his grandmother Peg Daly in the townland of Greenfingers in Tralee, Mark Daly first heard of Thomas Francis Meagher on a vinyl recording of John F Kennedy’s address to Dail Eiermann in 1963, in which the US President regaled members with the colourful story of the Irish Brigadier General who led the Irish Brigade in the Battle of Fredericksburg.
“It was such an exciting life story and he was such an extraordinary character. I listened to it repeatedly. My poor grandmother was driven demented.”
For Mark, this was the beginning of a consuming interest in the life of this almost forgotten Irish patriot. Years later when he found the last letter written by Meagher in Ireland in 1849 just before he was shipped off to Tasmania, the words struck him deeply.
“Never was there a country so utterly downcast, so depressed, so pitiful, so spiritless. Yet I do not, could not, despair of her regeneration,” wrote the young rebel.
Senator Daly acquired the letter and exchanged it with the Waterford Museum for one of Meagher’s battle swords, which was presented by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to US Senator Ted Kennedy 45 years after that JFK speech, and is now displayed at the base of the Senate staircase in Capitol Hill. Fast forward to two years ago and a trip to Washington as guest of Cody Keenan, a speechwriter for President Obama and Nikki Buffa, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Interior, when Senator Daly and his group, were surprised to learn that there was no Irish commemorative stone among the 193 in the Washington Monument.
Furthermore, they learned that the Department of the Interior
had to turn down hundreds of requests every month to have commemorative stones added to the monument.
In fact, in the past 75 years just five new stones had been added to the monument, each for exceptional reasons.
Undeterred, the Kerry senator wrote an impassioned letter to the National Park Service Director on his return, making a compelling case for an Irish exception, by outlining the many unique interconnections between Ireland and the US.
An estimated 40 per cent of those serving under Washington in the fight for independence including several high ranking officials, were of Irish heritage.
22 US presidents have Irish heritage. Three of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence were born in Ireland while being New York born, ultimately saved Eamon De Valera, one of Ireland’s most famous republicans and former presidents, from execution for his involvement in the 1916 Rising.
“We also pointed out that the Irish Proclamation talks about summonsing the children to the flag, that flag which was created by Thomas F. Meagher who ended up fighting in the 69th regiment in the Union Army. He fought for freedom in both countries. He was the link,” said Senator Daly.
Responding and acknowledging “the extraordinary connection” between both countries fight for independence, National Park Service Director, Jonathan Jarvis agreed to the erection of a bronze plaque on the tenth floor of the Washington Monument, close to the New York State stone that would “maintain the connection of Ireland’s patriots to New York”.
The plaque presented on behalf of the people of Ireland and Irish people everywhere by Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland, contains the words of the Irish Proclamation, and crucially, recognises Thomas Meagher as the embodiment of the strong and enduring links between Ireland and the United States. It will be officially handed over to the National Parks Service, by Minister for State at the OPW, Sean Canney, at the end of June, on the eve of 150th anniversary of Thomas F. Meagher’s death.
Senator Daly acknowledges that without collaborative effort on both sides of the Atlantic it would never have happened.
His grandmother, Peg Daly would surely have been proud.