Tag Archives: World War I

THIS Sunday will see the launch of a World War I Memorial in the garden of Kilrush Community Centre, dedicated to all those from the town who fought in the conflict. Dr Joe Power will complete the official launch and Paddy Waldron, PRO of the Kilrush and District Historical Society said, “It’s to commemorate everyone that we know of from Kilrush who took part in the first World War. Some of these memorials are for people who died but we’re looking at everyone who took part.” Around 400 names are included in the memorial and at the time the population of Kilrush was approximately 3,000 showing how high the level of local involvement was. Explaining how the information for the memorial was obtained, Paddy said, “Mostly it is based on the work of Charles Glynn who was from Kilrush and was one of the principal recruiters for the army at the time. “At the end of the war he published …

A HERITAGE project in Clarecastle and Ballyea has established that more than 100 local men served in the British Army during World War I, while a local historian believes there are at least the same number again of men from the area that they don’t know about yet. The Clarecastle and Ballyea Heritage Group are continuing to collect stories about The Great War and parishioners involved and a number of people have come forward recently with medals, photographs and fascinating stories of their grandfathers’ roles in that war. “We’ve been at it for the last couple of months; we’re trying to build up a database for people from the parish of Clarecastle and Ballyea of people who might have gone off to The Great War. “We know the men who went off and were killed, we’ve plenty of information on them, but there’s a lot, we reckon from the parish, who went away and served, then came back and never …

THE year 1914 was significant in both a national and international context. In June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, an incident which would lead to the outbreak of World War 1. John Redmond’s Woodenbridge call to arms for that war, in September 1914, created a split in the Irish National Volunteer Force from which would emerge the National Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers. The latter would go on to shape the Irish political landscape in the years following the 1916 Rising. However, during this turbulent time, the subject dominating the headlines, in the Banner County at least, was the fact that the Clare hurlers had made history by becoming the first county to capture All-Ireland senior and junior honours in the same year, beating Laois in both finals. By Tomás Mac Conmara The story of 1914 in Clare, from a sporting, social and historical context, is told  in  this week’s …

One hundred years ago today, July 28, 1914 the Austria-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia and precipitated a chain of events which saw most European nations in a state of war within a week. Over the course of the following five years war raged on fronts as close as England where some south eastern English towns and cities were bombed, to the Western Front straddling France, Holland and Belgium, the Alps, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Iraq and even naval battles off the coast of Chile. By wars end, there were 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. It is beleived that as many as 7,000 Clare men enlisted in Allied forces during World War I and as many as 700 lost their lives. As the centenary of remembrance of WW1 begins, The Clare Peace Park Initiative unveiled plans this week for a planned permanent memorial to all those who took part and lost their lives …

By Peter O’Connell NINETY-NINE years ago this week, two Coolmeen men were among 1,198 passengers and crew drowned when the British ocean liner, the Lusitania, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. The tragedy happened on May 7, 1915, when the ship was just 18km off the Irish coast at Kinsale. The Coolmeen passengers were Michael Galvin of Derryshane and Dr Joe Garry of Shanahea. Michael Galvin had emigrated to New York on September 21, 1906, aged 22. He was coming home to visit his family in Coolmeen, when disaster struck a short distance from Ireland. Kilmurry McMahon historian, Paul Markham has been researching the sinking of the Lusitania and, in particular, the West Clare link, as the 100th anniversary approaches. “Michael Galvin has three nieces living, two of whom are nuns in Kent; Sister Margaret, aged 98, and Sister Anne, aged 95. Another sister, Delia, aged 96, lives in Plymouth, England. This very week, I had a letter …

AS the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War approaches, a booklet commemorating those with Clare roots who lost their lives in the Great War has been created. The booklet, ‘The Great War 1914-1918 – The Clare War Dead WWI’ will be officially launched at the Ennis Book Club Festival. And it is hoped that the booklet will raise awareness, and assist plans, for the establishment of a memorial in the Friars Walk area of Ennis honouring Clare’s war dead. The publication, prepared by Ger Browne in association with the Clare Roots Society is now available but will be officially be launched during the Ennis Book Club Festival on the Saturday, March 9 at 2.30pm in St Columba’s Church. John Bradley of Clare Roots Society explained, “This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and with it comes four years of commemorations. The official commemorations will begin in Sarajevo with a …