Backing for ‘wild geese’ motion
A MOTION calling for the ‘wild geese’ Irishmen who fought abroad throughout the centuries to be honoured at the Armistice Day celebrations was passed a month late at the Wexford County Council meeting.
Outgoing Sinn Fein Cllr Oisin O’Connell had brought the motion to the November meeting of the body, but it was deferred due to a packed agenda last month. Cllr O’Connell said he was bringing forward the motion to recognise the historical impact of the Irish who - like the Wild Geese - have fought abroad throughout the centuries, out of necessity or commitment.
‘Seeking to recognise the sacrifices and traumas of both fighters and survivors of those conflicts; the diversity of our diaspora and national experiences and our significant UN peacekeeping commitments’, he sought, in his motion to commemorate all such broader ‘Wild Geese’ simply, inclusively, and respectfully on November 11 (Armistice Day/US Veterans of Foreign Wars/Remembrance Day).
Addressing the council, Cllr O’Connell said: ‘ This motion is about trying to be inclusive and pluralistic. It is not about celebrating any military conflict or particular military institutions. To give some personal background as motive: my grandfather Michael O’Connell was in the 49th Reserve Regiment of New York; my grand-aunt Annette and father’s cousin John O’Keefe were in the US Army in WWII; finally, my godfather and uncle Colm O’Kelly was in the RAF in Egypt after WWII. I’d like it if these people could be included in a public remembrance. But I do think that unfortunately on this side of the Atlantic we get fixated on one symbol to the exclusion of all else.’
Cllr O’Connell said none of the aforementioned people, for example, ever wore a poppy in their lives. ‘ That’s not to disparage anyone who does - I appreciate different families have different traditions, and I want to respect that. But if we want to be inclusive, we should be respectful of our broader diaspora. We should also be respectful towards people on this island, who might have had a very different or traumatic experience at the hands of certain military institutions. Their experience is valid too.’