Heroic deed of tragic soldier recalled in Fermoy ceremony
TWO soldiers who died tragically in Fermoy in 1942 during ‘ The Emergency’ were last Saturday honoured in a special ceremony in the town close to the spot where they lost their lives.
The men, Sgt Michael J. McElligott from Rathea in Co Kerry and Lieutenant Thomas Ryan a native of Cashel, Co Tipperary, drowned in the River Blackwater while taking part in one of the biggest army manouvres in Ireland at the time.
Dressed in full army regalia including back packs, the men were swept downstream by a rapid current on September 6, 1942.
In 1992 a plaque was unveiled by friends and former comrades in their honour on a wall in the small park area adjacent to the river to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.
The ceremony was attended by Sgt McElligott’s widow, Mrs Irene McElligott, who returned to Fermoy in 2000 to mark the 58th anniversary of the tragedy laying a wreath at the plaque.
Her daughter, Annie O’Connor from Castleisland, and her grandson Jeremiah also attended the commemoration 18-years-ago.
At last Saturday’s commemoration ceremony, Mrs O’Connor took the place of her late mother and was accompanied by her daughter Margaret and Margaret’s daughter, Emma Fleming.
Saturday’s event also brought great relief and revelation to Mrs O’Connor and her family as she found out that the father she never knew had tried, heroically, to save his comrade, Lieutenant Ryan, on that tragic day in 1942. The family always believed it was the other way around and felt responsible, somehow, for the second part of the double tragedy.
Last Saturday’s remembrance ceremony came about following a brief conversation a few years ago in John B’s pub in Listowel, between Billy Keane and Irish United Nation Veterans Association member John Wade.
Mr Keane related some details about a local soldier who drowned during The Emergency and that it would be a good thing to remember him in some way. Mr Wade undertook some research and discovered that in September 1942, the Irish Army had been holding a huge exercise, involving 20,000 soldiers, in the Fermoy area.
Whilst crossing the River Blackwater, in Fermoy, the rope being used to assist the troops crossing the river snapped and men were swept away.
Sgt McElligott heroically tried to save Lt Thomas Ryan, but both tragically drowned.
When John discussed this, with the newly-formed Post 2 IUNVA, – Irish United Nations Veterans Association whose chairman, Con ‘Rocky’ Roche, was able to tell the members that Sgt McElligott’s daughter, Annie, was actually living in Castleisland and that he knew her.
Contact was made with Annie and last Saturday she, her daughter and grandaughter travelled with Con to Fermoy the plaque was erected in memory of the two men.
They were joined by Post 2 Secretary, John Wade and member Private John O’Mahony from Scartaglin. Members from the local IUNVA Post 25 in Fermoy also joined their comrades and all formed a guard of honour.
Annie laid a family wreath and an IUNVA piper, Anto Byrne from Dublin, played a lament whilst the IUNVA members saluted their fallen comrades.
Later that day they all went to the Post 25 Annual Mass and Remembrance Ceremony organised for deceased members from Fitzgerald Barracks, Fermoy and Lynch Camp, Kilworth.
After the Mass in the Garrison Church, at the UN Memorial Wall, Annie laid another wreath remembering her father, and the man he tried to save.
So, from Billy relating some facts to John, the local UN veterans were delighted to have been able to pay tribute to a hero and his comrade.