100-YEAR SALUTE
IT was a commemoration 100 years in the making, but if Coiste Cuimhneachán Thomáis Ághas felt stressed in trying to prepare an occasion worthy of one of Lios Póil’s best-known sons, it didn’t show during Saturday’s superbly organised and well-attended event in Cinn Aird.
The wind and rain that battered Ághas’ home townland at the weekend would have had the strength to grind a less organised event to dust, but the gale could do little more than provide a backing track to the occasion on Saturday as it ran into the sturdiest of white marquees. Hundreds found shelter under the white covers, with locals, dignitaries, interested visitors, musicians, and descendants of the Ághas family to be found amongst the impressively large gathering.
There was no shortage of speeches on the day, but while handing a person the opportunity to give their cúpla focail is always exposes one to the danger of a drawn-out contribution, nobody outstayed their welcome at the microphone on Saturday. Indeed, every speaker provided engaging company in having their say, with the Coiste Cuimhneachán’s Risteard Mac Eoin proving himself an emcee perfectly capable of overseeing a commemoration of nationwide significance.
The occasion was perhaps most keenly felt by Ághas’ relatives, and it felt right that family representatives were regularly beckoned to the limelight throughout the afternoon.
This familial involvement included a moving recitation of Ághas’ poem ‘Let me Carry your Cross for Ireland, Lord’ by grandniece Mairead Ashe-Moriarty, as well as an engaging contribution by grandnephew Colm Quinn.
Among the highlights of the day was the appearance of Sliabh na mBan, an armoured car that was part of Michael Collins’ convoy on the day he was ambushed and killed, and retired Irish Defence Forces Major General David Ashe, a distant relative of Ághas’, was among those to think it an appropriate addition to the celebrations.
“Collins was chosen to give the oration at the graveside when Thomas Ashe was being buried,” he said. “It’s appropriate then that we symbolise Collins today, as he was probably his best friend.”
Colm Quinn followed later in the afternoon, and spoke eloquently of “a man with great organisation skills, a committee man with charisma who knew how to get people involved.
“I want to thank all the various groups who have kept his memory alive, including the committee who arranged today’s events. They’ve shown Thomas Ashe’s greatest trait: getting involved and making a difference.”