Casement to the fore as 1916 anniversary plans revealed
KERRY’S 1916 commemoration events will centre on Roger Casement with a state ceremony and a major exhibition to be dedicated to the executed rebel leader.
Kerry County Council (KCC) is to spend €150,000 on an extensive programme to mark the centenary of the rising.
The largest event will be a state ceremony at the Casement memorial in Banna on April 21 2016. This event is part of the national commemoration programme and the council is to spend €27,000 upgrading the access road and cleaning the monument ahead of the ceremony.
An exhibition on Casement’s life, career and his part in the rising will take place at Kerry County Museum in Tralee.
KCC will provide €45,000 of the exhibitions €90,000 cost. Numerous items belonging to Casement or relating to him will be donated specially to the museum for the exhibition which will run for several months.
A further €10,000 has been allocated to cover the cost of works at Ballykissane where three volunteers died when they lost their way and drove off the pier while on route to Valentia to steal wireless equipment.
The pier and monument will be enhanced with new bollards, a bench and plaque to be installed on the pier.
A plaque is also to be erected at Valentia’s Station House.
While the programme was widely praised by councillors there was some criticism of some of the spending plans.
Cllr Toireasa Ferris slammed the decision to spend €25,000 of the budget upgrading the road in Banna and putting bollards in Ballykissane.
“Nice try. Those works should be carried out under the normal works programme.
Local groups who have plans for 1916 events should contact the council with their proposals. Public meetings on commemoration plans will take place in Listowel, Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Tralee, Dingle and Killarney on May 5,6,7, 13 and 14.
For more details follow @ Kerry2016Comm on Twitter.