World War One heroes are remembered in Glasnevin

THE Irish heroes of World War One were recently honoured at an Armistice Day Commemoration in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The commemoration was marked by a wreath laying ceremony at the Cross of Sacrifice and a reading by Molly Meleady-Hanley, Great-Great Niece of Gunner Patrick Meleady, who died in 1919 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Gunner Patrick Meleady served during the First World War as part of the Royal Field Artillery. During the war he was wounded on the battlefield and taken as a prisoner. Towards the end of the war he contracted influenza, which was the great pandemic during this period of history. He died in 1919, aged 20, following his return to Great Clarence Street in Dublin and was buried in Glasnevin.

Speaking on the day, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, said: “This year's Armistice Day Commemoration in Glasnevin Cemetery provides us with a special opportunity to remember and pay tribute to the men and women from across Ireland who served and gave their lives during World War One. It is important that, over a century later, we reflect on these events and how they shaped the world today.”

She added: “We remember, in particular, the two hundred thousand men from across the island of Ireland and pay tribute to the thousands that never returned home. Their loss had a profound impact and almost certainly would have affected every community across the country.

“ This annual commemoration serves as a reminder of the importance of solidarity and reconciliation as we remember those lost to the terrors of war.”

Mr David Bunworth, chairman of Glasnevin Trust, opened the ceremony with a welcoming address. This was followed by the reading by Molly Meleady-Hanley and a joint prayer by Reverend David Oxley and Father Séamus Madigan. Afterwards, a special wreath laying ceremony was held at the Cross of Sacrifice.

The wreath laying ceremony was followed by a minute’s silence and the playing of ‘The Last Post and Reveille’ by a lone piper.

Following the event, the French Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Stéphane Crouzat, said: “By standing in silence here on Armistice Day, I would like to express my gratitude in the name of France to all the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives during the darkest hours of our history.”