Blanchardstown ceremonies highlight links with Cabra

MARTIAL airs and the sound of marching feet echoed across the Civic Plaza in Blanchardstown Centre on Saturday March 13.

The martial airs came courtesy of Blanchardstown Brass Band and the marching feet were those of Cabra’s Historical Society’s Re enactment Group, attired in Irish Volunteer Uniforms and shouldering realistic looking Howth rifles.

Cabra was actually in St Brigid’s Parish, Blanchardstown, at the time of the Rising and remained so until the late 1930s. So the two communities are not only good neighbours but former parishioners,

The occasion was the 1916 Commemoration ceremonies, organised by Blanchardstown Castleknock History Society in association with Fingal County Council 

Earlier that morning the history society had genealogists and historians present to assist relatives searching for family members who participated in the 1916 Rising or War of Independence and The Great War

David O’Connor, Mayor of Finga, and a keen local historian himself, dropped in to lend encouragement to the project.

The afternoon started off with a display of foot drill, accompanied by a rousing rendition of Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile from the Cabra contingent who not only could march and do precision drill, but could sing as well.

Then the Blanchardstown Brass Band struck up with a medely of Irish airs including The Green Flag and The Foggy Dew.

The band has been performing at local events since 1826 and played at important National events too, such as Daniel O’Connell’s monster meeting calling for Repeal of the Union at Tara in 1843.

They also led The Old Dubin Brigade of the IRA to the saluting base at the GPO at the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1966.

The Blanchardstown Castleknock Society turned out in force and a small crowd of local people gathered to enjoy the music and the poems relating to 1916 read by members of the society Pat Quigley, Angela McMorrow and Jim Lacey

Frank O’Connor, Chairperson of Blanchardstown Castleknock, acted as Master of Ceremonies during the afternoon, which continued with a reading of the Proclamation of The Irish Republic by Nora Comiskey of The 1916/21 Club.

The Commemoration continued with a minute’s silence for all who died in the 1916 Rising and concluded with Last Post and Reveille with military honours rendered by the Cabra Historical Society’s Re Enactment Group followed by a special arrangement of the National Anthem written by the band for the occasion.