Villages come together to commemorate WWI dead

There was music and poetry, singing and recollection recently when the people of Churchtown and Liscarroll honoured the ten fallen soldiers from the parish in the First World War in a ceremony which also included the launch of a booklet entitled ‘In Memoriam,’ that was compiled by local man Gerry Murphy.

The hour-long ceremony at St. Nicholas’, Churchtown was organised by Churchtown Heritage Society and consisted of Mass and a commemoration ceremony.

The commemoration ceremony was led by Gerry Murphy, who remembered, among others, the ten men from the parish of Churchtown/Liscarroll who perished, such as Private Michael McCarthy, who died at the Battle of the River Selle in 1918, and whose mother, Kate, was the sacristan of St. Nicholas Church.

Colette Collins of Liscarroll, who is honorary secretary of the Royal Munster Fusiliers Association Cork, delivered a brief history of WWI, while parish priest Fr. Robin Morrissey, read out the names of the men from the parish who fell in the war.

Local historian and author, Denis Hickey provided an account of the Men of the Cloth who ministered to the troops in the war, such as Colomban Father and Liscarroll native Fr. Jeremiah Pigott, who ministered to the soldiers of the Munster Fusiliers at Gallipoli and was later awarded the Military Cross medal for the bravery of his actions.

Marie Sexton read the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae and tribute was paid by Boston, USA based John F. Murphy, who is the son of Churchtown native Eddie Murphy. Local singer Willie Relihan was accompanied by his sister Margaret Relihan- O’Keeffe on accordion when he rendered ‘ The Green Fields of France.’