Wexford pays tribute to the Great War dead
THE 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War 1914-1918 was marked in Wexford with the annual Memorial Mass in St Iberius Church, and the subsequent wreath-laying in Redmond Square.
A large crowd attended both events including members of the clergy, the local O.N.E. branch, An Garda Siochana, the Defence Forces, the RNLI, the Order of Malta, Wexford Borough and County Council, and members of the public.
During the service in St Iberius Church, Canon Arthur Minion referred to the sinking of the HMS Leinster which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1918 and resulted in the loss of almost 800 lives, the highest ever loss of life in the Irish Sea.
Some relatives of those lost in that disaster were present for the occasion, and Canon Minion pointed out that further information about the disaster and those who perished in it had come to light in recent times.
The Loch Garman Band provided musical accompaniment for the service and later at the Redmond Square ceremony. Wreaths were laid in St Iberius Church by the Mayor and also by representatives of the numerous uniformed groups present at the service.
The group then formed a parade and marched through the main street, into Redmond Square for the wreath laying at the Redmond Memorial.
Speaking at the wreath-laying ceremony, Mayor of Wexford, Cllr Tony Dempsey spoke of how World War I was supposed to be the ‘war to end all wars’ but just 21 years later, the world was at war again.
He paid tribute to 866 Wexford people who had died in the war, many of whom have no known burial ground, and said it was fitting to honour their memory during what was the 100th anniversary of Armistice.
Wreaths were laid by Larry Shannon on behalf of O.N.E. and by Cllr Tony Dempsey on behalf of the people of Wexford.
The event ceremony conclued with the playing of The Last Post / Reveille by Anthony Nolan.