Plaque unveiled in Baldoyle

A PLAQUE was unveiled at Baldoyle Community Hall earlier this month to honour Irish Citizen Army members, including a local hero, who fought and died in the 1916 Easter Rising.

SIPTU’s Dublin District Council hosted the ceremony which included representatives from groups including the Howth, Sutton, Baldoyle 1916 Commemoration Committee, the Baldoyle Forum and Fingal County Council.

SIPTU, who sponsored the plaque, also had trade union members in attendance, dressed in ICA uniform to commemorate the members who fought in the Rising.

The event included speeches from Mayor of Fingal, Cllr David O’Connor, Alison Regan, from SIPTU, and Phillip O’Connor, local historian and author.

Mayor O’Connor unveiled the plaque before the ‘Forget Me Nots’ choir entertained the crowd and refreshments were enjoyed inside the hall.

James McCormack was one of the ICA members remembered as he was the Commanding Officer for the Baldoyle, Sutton and Howth branch of the Irish Citizen Army.

McCormack was one of the many men and women stationed at the GPO during that iconic few days in the Republic of Ireland’s history, but was unfortunately shot dead by a British sniper’s bullet on Wednesday, April 26, 1916.

McCormack was a member of the Irish Labour Party and the Irish Trade Union Congress as well as serving with James Connolly in the ICA. He was born near Bellewstown, County Meath, in 1877 and lived in the area until 1906 where he moved to Baldoyle and  married Ann ‘Annie’ Rooney in 1908 before having three sons named Michael, Joseph and James.

McCormack and his family lived at 13 Station Road near Sutton Train Station, before moving to ‘Sutton Cottages’, closer to Baldoyle. He picked up a job with Metropolitan Baldoyle Race Company Limited at the local racecourse due to his experience at working at the Bellewstown Racecourse.

The commemoration service wasn’t McCormack’s first symbol of remembrance. Along with being buried in Glasnevin Cemetery together with 1916 heroes, there is a bridge in the Bellewstown area, a bench and plaque at the old racecourse in Baldoyle and a development of houses in Baldoyle all named after him.

James’ granddaughter and only remaining McCormack living in the Baldoyle area, Ann McCormack, also attended the plaque unveiling ceremony and thoroughly enjoyed the commemoration.

“It was a wonderful day and very well organised, especially with the refreshments so fair play to the heritage people who organised that, I enjoyed it,” said Ms McCormack. 

“For me it is a great honour and I’m very proud that my grandfather was remembered like that because he did a lot for Baldoyle.” 

REPORT: Brein McGinn