THE MEMORY OF THE DEAD

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MEMORIALS UNVEILED AT BALLINAHAGLISH

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BIG CROWD AT REPUBLICAN CEREMONY

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(“Western People,” August 25, 1951)

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  Two well-kept graves in Ballinahaglish (Parish of Backs, Knockmore) Cemetery were the centre of a stirring ceremony on Sunday when over 500 people gathered to honour the memory o two young men and to witness the unveiling of two memorials by Dr. John A. Madden, Dublin, to the memory of Lieut. Thomas James and (21), Corroy, and Lieut. Patrick Morrison (19), Ballinahaglish, both officers in the North Mayo Brigade I.R.A. and both of whom were killed at the battle of Clifden (Co.Galway), on Ocotber 29^th, 1922.

  Last Sunday, 29 years later, their comrades gathered around their graves to honour their dead and to relive that fierce engagement that cost so many lives on that October morning so long ago. The town of Clifden, a strategic centre, was chosen for attack by the I.R.A., the entire operation under the command of Comdt. P. J. McDonnell. Of the estimated 100 men who took part in the attack 32 of the North Mayo Brigade under Comdt. J. Gallagher, Lakefield, and Vice.-Comdt. M. Bourke, Corroy, were detailed to render impotent a Marconi radio station and prevent the garrison there from joining forces with the garrison in the town. Through some mishap the garrison in the station learned of the forthcoming attack and part of them slipped out with the result that the 32 I.R.A. men, before they could take up positions, were ambushed. Lieuts. James and Morrison were both mortally wounded in the ensuing fight, one being killed immediately and the other lingering for two days.

  On last Sunday, of the 32 men engaged in that encounter twelve marched proudly in the parade that preceded the ceremony. Fourteen others in the United States marched in spirit. Headed by the Lacken Pipe Band, the parade started from Corroy factory. It included such noted personalities as Mr. P. J. Ruttledge, T.D.; Senator Seamus Kilroy, P. A. Calleary, the Brigade Engineer; Matt Kilcawley, Enniscrone; Vincent Calleary, Ballina; P. Boland, Chairman of the Memorial Committee; J. O’Donnell, Foxford; Denis Sheerin, Ballina; T. Bourke, Secretary Memorial Committee, and many others too numerous to mention. They came from Ballycastle, Killala, Bonniconlon, Foxford, Ballina, Enniscrone, Dublin, Crossmolina, and it must have been a source of pride to the relatives of the deceased men that so many should remember.

MONAGENARIAN FATHER

  Pride of place in the parade was given to Mr. Pat James (96), father of Lieut. Thomas James, and with stood the other members of the family, including Martin James (brother); Mrs. Sally McNicholas and Mrs. T. O’Hora (sisters); Vincent James (nephew); Mrs. Martin James and Mr. T. O’Hora (in-laws). Mr. J. O’Hora, nephew, was unable to attend.

  Representing the Morrison family were John and Michael Morrison (brothers); Mrs. Mary Quinn, Corcoran Terrace, Ballina (sister); Patrick and John W. Morrison (nephews); and Mr. James Quinn (brother-in-law).

  The general public brought up the rear of the long parade which wound the one and half-mile journey to the cemetery and included Captain McDonagh and Lieut. McCormack, both of Ballina F.C.A. who attended the ceremony in their private capacities. At the head of the parade a 29 year old green, white and orange banner, bore the following inscription: “In memory of the late Lieut. Patrick Morrison and Lt. Thomas James, Killed in action at the Battle of Clifden. 29^th October, 1922.

  The unveiling of the striking memorials followed in the cemetery. Erected by the aid of local subscriptions and by generous donations from old comrades overseas the memorials took the form of two exquisite Celtic Crosses lettered in gold lead and the work of Messrs. Diamond of Skreen. Surmounted by the inscription: “Gael dilis—Laoch Calma, Siothan Siorrai d’anam, the memorials read:-- I mbuam Chuinne ar Padraic O Muiggheasann, Maile na h-Eaglaise, Beal an Átha, Lifteanant san iad Cath Briogaid Mhuigheo Thraid orm Poblacht na hEireann a fuair bás ag triod ar son na saoirgeachta ag on gClochán, Co. na Gaillimah, ar an 28ad Deire Fogmhair, 1922.

  Ar deis De go raib a anam.

  Ar na chur cuas ag a chomradai.

 A similar inscription decked the memorial over the grave of Lieut. James, while on top of each grave rested a wreath from Rehins Cumann na mBán.

THE ORATION

  The oration at the graveside, delivered by Dr. J. A. Madden, Brigadier North Mayo Brigade, and Command Adjutant, Western Command I.R.A., was a simple tribute to the memory of the two young men who also linked their lives with that of Vice-Comdt. Michael Burke, also buried in the graveyard, who gave a long period of service to the Republic and which service was ultimately the cause of his early death.

   Recounting the battle in which both men had lost their lives, Dr.  Madden said that by their death both men inscribed their names on the roll of Irish martyrs just as surely as anybody who proceeded them. In order to understand why two simple boys were called upon to make the supreme sacrifice, Dr. Madden took his listeners back to the 1916 Rising when the spirit of nationhood was again fanned into life and the effect his epic had on the patriotic boys. Going on to recall the tyranny of British rule in this country, Dr. Madden said it made him smile when he heard of British outcries against the Communist regime, when they remembered that thirty years ago they had an equally bad regime in this country from their neighbours and young boys like James and Morrison stood up to it.

  Recalling the struggle and the events that led up to the Treaty, Dr. Madden, while making it clear that he not want to rake up old sores, said that if they were to do justice to the memory of those two men they should put their actions in the right perspective and when the treaty was signed, and when Lloyd had perpetrated the greatest act of treachery against this country when forcing the Irish representatives to sign, splitting the country from top to bottom as he had intended and “doing what Elizabeth had given armies to do,” these young men made up their own mind that the Treaty was not what they had struggled for so long.

  Continuing, Dr. Madden sketched in the eventful events after the Treaty, the slow evolution of freedom up to 1939 and said that if he just finished on that he would just have admitted that Morrison and James had laid down their lives in vain, but he believed that by their deaths they achieved as much as Pearse and his comrades did by going into the G.P.O. He believed that it was the action of those young men and others who died to keep up the spirit of the Republic alive that resulted in our stand in 1939 when we went our way again when a Government without the ideals of Morrison and James might have walked this country into a world war.

  Referring to the Six Counties, Dr. Madden said that the full aim of the men like James and Morrison would be achieved when the Republic would extend to the 32 counties. “That would be the great monument we could have to their memories and to the memories of all who died in the 700 years previously,” he concluded.

 A decade of the Rosary was recited in Irish.

  At the gravesides a firing party under Mr. Stephen Donnelly, Ballina, fired three volleys over the graves and the Last Post was sounded by a member of the Lacken Scout Patrol. The firing party consisted of John Flynn, Mount Falcon (one of the members of the Clifden attack); T. Holmes, Tullysleva, and Patrick Clarke, Farrandila.

  Also present were Mr. Gerard Barley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands, and Comdt. John Gallagher.