When Mallow brought the 1916 Easter Rising back to life
THE 1966 Mallow Pageant celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising will forever remain etched in the minds of generations of Mallow people whose ancestors were proud to take part in the week long event, which attracted the hierarchy of Irish politics, including President Eamonn De Velera to Mallow Racecourse 54 years ago.
All roads led to Mallow as scores of people from throughout the country and further afield gathered in the north Cork capital to unite with locals to honour the men and women who fought for Irish freedom a half a century earlier.
Another such event at that time which ran in parallel to the pageant was the opening of a temporary Museum that was opened to the public from Sunday, May 8 to Sunday, May 15 1966 at Liberty Hall- Connolly Hall in Fair Street and featured up to 200 exhibits which were directly connected to those troubled times in this country and others from turbulent occasions back to 1798.
The exhibits for the event were mostly donated by Mallow people and the glass-casing, fitting and other furniture used for the exhibition were supplied by local retailers such as the Monument House, O’Flynn’s Stores, Burrow’s, Springmount Dairy, Buckley Brother’s, W. J. Thompson and J.M. O’Keeffe, Builders with many such outlets closed for many years.
The Museum was opened from 10am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday and from 3pm to 7pm on Sundays with admission being 6d for adults and 3d for children.
Items on display from 1916 and as far back as 1798 included pictures, baptismal and death certificates, letters, books, newspapers, documents, including military orders, tickets, embroidered cloths, furniture, posters, medals, postcards, brooches, cutlery from Cork jail, religious annuals, badges, plaques, hand guns, holsters, rifles, knives, swords, grenades, bayonets, bullets, a motor cycle, helmets, uniforms and other items of clothing and even part of a policeman’s baton which was broken on Fair Street resident Dan Hegarty’s head.
Those who donated historic memorabilia for the event included Mary Kennan, Hume Terrace, W.F. Harvey, Cork Road, Jack Mulcahy, Ballydaheen, Meta Foley Lane, West End, Tomas O’Siochain, Brass Castle, Denis Sheehan, Sandfield, Mallow Field Club, J. Maher, Davis Terrace, William Roche, Lower Beecher Street, Mrs. Buckley, Railway Bar, Brig. Jephson, Mallow Castle, John McCarthy, Bathview, Michael Stubbs, Sean Moylan Park, Jerry Cronin, Main Street, Sean Wright, Dromore Drive, Elizabeth Harrington, Ballydaheen, Jo O’Rourke, Ballydaheen, J. Barry, Spa Walk, D. J. O’Connell, Cork Road, Kevin Bolster, Spa Glen and William Egar, Main Street.
In 1966 Mallow town was smaller in size and of course in population but the community spirit was in a class of its own at that time.
2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising and familiar dedication and common bond of commitment to our past came to the fore in Mallow as it did back in 1966 which was fitting to honour the events of the past which all our Mallow ancestors including Patsy Holmes, Congo Moloney and so many more rightly and truly deserve.