In Pictures: Local men who fought in WWI remembered at event in Portlaoise

The annual remembrance ceremony for those who died in World War One was held on Sunday, November 19, in Portlaoise.

The ceremony also honoured those who died in subsequent conflicts across the globe.

The War Memorial was built in 1918 to the memory of 177 officers and men of the 4th Battalion (Leinster), Queen’s County Regiment who died in The First World War of 1914-18.

Charlie Flanagan TD gave a speech at the war memorial.

He said: “As the National Decade of Centenary Commemoration is concluded, it is right that we make time in Portlaoise, for reflection, remembrance, and reminder of the bravery of the local men in whose memory we stand at our specially designated sombre Peace Park.

“We remember too, the women who by and large remained behind in a state of worry and high anxiety during this time of great turbulence.

“We reflect on our fellow Laois men who went to war for varying and widely different reasons. Some went in response to a request to defend King and country.

“Some went to advance the cause of Home Rule, some went to defend the Union with Britain, some went in solidarity with Catholic Belgium and in defence of small nations. Many went because of poverty, disadvantage and economic necessity.

“Joining the army was for many the difference between food on the table or a cold and hungry winter. Some even went for a sense of adventure, foreign travel, and a bit of excitement.

“Almost all however shared one belief, and that was that the war would be over and they’d be at home with their loved ones by Christmas.

“While the men whose memory we honour were in France, Belgium or further afield here at home the long and difficult struggle for Home Rule was just about resolved and the role of the Irish Parliamentary Party, often forgotten always underestimated, must be remembered, and acknowledged.

“The Home Rule Bill had passed and had been suspended for the duration of the Great War, which of course lasted longer than anybody anticipated.

“It is important that we mark the contribution to democratic politics of Parnell, Dillion, Healy, Redmond, Meehan and their colleagues in the Irish Parliamentary Party.

“History has been unkind to John Redmond, branding him as an Imperialist and blaming him for having sent so many young Irishmen to fight in Europe.

“Reference to John Redmond was virtually deleted from the school curriculum after independence. This was not fair. Indeed, we recall one of John Redmond’s bigger meetings at the GAA grounds in Portlaoise when in August 1914 he spoke to over 1,000 Laois people, many of whom joined up and backed Redmond’s call:

‘It is the holiest work that men can undertake- to maintain the freedom and the rights, and to uphold the peace and the order and safety of their own nation’.

“The Leinster Express put it well: ‘The Maryborough volunteers saluted in smart military style while their more informal Heath comrades burst into cheers.

“Maryborough Pipe band, Maryborough Fife and drum played nationals airs, flags flew and banners boomed and bands were there aplenty from Mountmellick, Abbeyleix and Coolrain.

“Many recruited there and then farmers sons, tradesman, sons of shopkeepers, smallholders, tenants signed up’.

“Some never returned, their names are here.

“Redmond’s firm resolve in politics was for persuasion and compromise rather than violence and confrontation.

“It is worth remembering that at the outbreak of the First World War, the land question in Ireland had been by and large resolved and Ireland was steadily becoming a nation of landowners.

“Redmond believed that close and friendly relations with our neighbour offered the best hope of containing the excesses of unionism and radicalisation, which ultimately transpired to be a wise move and a strategy sadly ignored by subsequent Irish leaders.

“None of these brave men knew the devastation of what they were facing in to. All of them faced horror and suffering beyond measure.

“Many never came home and their remains are interred among the rows of marble and the poppies of Northern France and Belgium. Many of the fallen are in unmarked graves.

“We are once again reminded that peace comes at a huge cost. Those who did manage to return generally came back with deep physical and psychological injuries.

“They had been to hell and back and they returned to an Ireland they did not recognise.

“An Ireland that had changed very rapidly from the model of seeking home rule through parliamentary means to seeking independence by means of armed revolution.

“The men and women of WW1 found themselves on the wrong side of history and the absence of an acknowledgement of this aspect of our history was in itself a historic wrong.

“That wrong is being addressed by the formal gathering here in Portlaoise and at many locations around the country each November.

“Those names on the monuments came from all walks of life and they are united forever in the manner of their death. It is right and proper that they are remembered here in this special place of reflection and remembrance in the heart of their native county.

“In recent decades we have adapted to be a people more at ease with ourselves and with our past – or perhaps more publicly at ease, for I believe the vast majority of Irish people have always been comfortable with a greater measure of diversity and pluralism than our leaders sometimes displayed.

“We recall however the improved relations between the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland over the past two decades where democratic politics has shown what it can achieve.

“It has allowed people with different viewpoints from different backgrounds to find common ground by engaging with one another to resolve their differences in the common good. Over my career I have been a great believer in parliamentary diplomacy.

“As in the period that we reflect upon this morning, we remember that Irish soldiers continue to serve to advance the cause of peace in this world.

“We think of them today, especially those serving with the United Nations in the Middle East as we remember those who died in the First World War and we work towards the safety of their missions and the success of their work.

“So, in our reflection this morning at Portlaoise, we rightly remember those Irish men who died in the Great War.

“Remembering them of itself however is not sufficient.

“Remembrance must at all times be tempered by a determination to prevent future conflict. We reflect too on the horror of current war in Israel/Palestine and in Ukraine.

“As citizens of a free country and as citizens of a free Europe, each of us has an obligation to help build a peaceful future for ourselves and for our children and our neighbours.

“We do so by being active citizens in our local community and by playing a full part in the civic and political life of our country.

“This memorial is a special place of reconciliation for those who revere the memory of our dead and believe in the cause for which they died. Our silence here in Portlaoise this morning is as much about the future as it is the past.

“The fact that this site is described as a peace park conveys a powerful message to current and future generations about the human cost of war and the incalculable values of a future with peace and stability without conflict, war & strife.

“A future where justice, peace and respect for human rights can flourish and prosper. In the words of the Good Friday Agreement “the achievement of a peaceful and just society will be the true memorial to the victims of violence, conflict and war.”

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