The Legacy of the Rising and the Battle of Ashbourne
The Battle of Ashbourne involved men and women from the Fifth Battalion (the Fingal Brigade) and was one of the only military successes of the Easter Rising. Several prominent surnames that feature in the events of 1916 including Ashe, Mulcahy, Coleman, Kettle, Wilson, Weston, Kelly, McAllister, Adrien, Fleming and Lawless to name but a few, are synonymous with Fingal and many of the families remain here today.
In the aftermath of the Rising, almost 150 Fingallians were arrested and sent to internment camps, such as Frongoch, in Wales. These included members of the Fingal Brigade. Most were not released until June 1917. Despite the reaction to events immediately after The Rising, they were given a warm reception.
Mindful of this heritage, Fingal County Council have reached out to the relatives of those involved, members of the Fingal Old IRA Commemorative Society, historical societies, community groups, artists and the wider public to collaborate on delivering a diverse and rich programme of events that honours this legacy. Piecing the story together and presenting it through a variety of media and from differing perspectives will allow us to secure its place in the memory of future generations.
Fingal’s Commemorative Programme
Within the Council, an interdepartmental working group and the Fingal 1916 Centenary Commemoration Steering Committee have worked closely to ensure that the programme spans all areas of our remit. The programme is the result of a countywide partnership with key stakeholders that has been devised to reflect on and commemorate Fingal’s unique heritage. The Council aspires to support the strong willingness to engage in commemorating the role played by Fingallians in the events of 1916, which is evident among our community. To this end we will support individuals and groups to run events and projects as part of the Centenary Commemoration through the Centenary Fund. Information events conducted with the public to raise awareness of the availability of the fund and to consult with the community on the programme assisted in identifying priorities for the Fingal 1916 Centenary Commemoration. Involving young people and having an inclusive, collaborative, county wide events programme underpinned by the Irish language emerged as aspects of key importance to the community.
In response the council will deliver and support a range of events specifically for young people, including those from our new communities, based around poetry, theatre, film, proclamation readings in Irish and English, commemorative tree planting ceremonies and historical re-enactments in schools. We will also support the network of community centres across the county in marking the Centenary at a local level.
The community will be invited to engage in the Centenary Commemorations in Fingal, across all seven programme strands, through events like the Fingal Memorabilia Days, which will be held in Autumn 2015. Relatives and the public will be invited to contribute and share stories, artefacts, photos of their connections to the unique story of Fingal and the pivotal role played by Fingallians in the fight for Irish freedom in 1916. The recorded information will be available as part of the legacy of the Fingal Centenary in an on-line archive to honour those involved and raise the profile of the national significance of the pivotal role of Fingal in these events for future generations.
As well as the diverse programme of events specifically developed for the Centenary many of our established programmes will reflect the commemoration theme. Memory Makers, a popular annual programme which encourages people over 55 to reflect on a moment special to them that can be represented through various craft media, will focus on memories of the 1916 Centenary. Flavours of Fingal, the County Show which celebrates Fingal’s rich agricultural heritage and local food production, took place in June 2015 and 65,000 people attended. Re-enactors from the Old IRA and Irish Military Living History in uniform promoted the upcoming Fingal Memorabilia Days and raised awareness of the upcoming programme. It is intended to mark the Commemoration during the 2016 event.
The programme will culminate in the Fingal 1916 Centenary Commemorative Day. This flagship event will take place at Swords Castle and will incorporate a parade, re-enactments, marching bands, an exhibition, reading of the Proclamation, flag raising and launching of the public arts commission. A highlight of the event will be RothaÍocht na mBan, a cycle of a group of women in period costume, to commemorate the contribution of women in Fingal to the events of 1916. Many of the messages delivered to the volunteers would have been by bicycle, often by a female messenger, such as Mary (Molly) Adrien who delivered dispatches from PH Pearse in the GPO to Thomas Ashe in the Swords area. This event will mark the culmination of all of the consultation and collaboration between the Council, Fingal Old IRA Commemorative Society, the relatives and the wider Fingal community in commemorating Fingal’s Role in the Rising.
Oidhreacht an Éirí Amach agus Cath Chill Dhéagláin
Bhí fir agus mná ón gCúigiú Cathlán (Cathlán Fhine Gall) páirteach i gCath Chill Dhéagláin a bhí ar cheann de chorr bhua míleata Éirí Amach na Cásca. Ar roinnt de na sloinnte iomráiteacha a thagann chun cinn in imeachtaí 1916 áirítear Ághas (Ashe), Ó Maolchatha (Mulcahy), Ó Colmáin (Coleman), Kettle, Wilson, Weston, Ó Ceallaigh(Kelly), McAllister, Adrien, Fleming agus Laighléis (Lawless), sloinnte atá comhchiallach le Fine Gall agus tá cuid mhaith de na teaghlaigh sin anseo go fóill sa lá atá inniu ann.
I ndiaidh an Éirí Amach gabhadh beagnach 150 de mhuintir Fhine Gall agus cuireadh chuig campaí géibhinn iad, mar Fhrongach sa Bhreatain Bheag. Bhí baill de Chathlán Fhine Gall ina measc siúd. Níor scaoileadh saor a bhformhór go dtí Meitheamh 1917. Ainneoin na freagartha d’imeachtaí díreach ina dhiaidh, cuireadh fáilte chroíúil rompu.
Agus iad ar an eolas faoin oidhreacht seo, tá Comhairle Contae Fhine Gall tar éis dul i gcomhar le gaolta na ndaoine a bhí rannpháirteach, le baill de Chumann Cuimhneacháin Fhine Gall den SeanIRA, cumainn stairiúla, grúpaí pobail, ealaíontóirí agus leis an bpobal níos leithne le clár saibhir éagsúil imeachtaí a sheachadadh le hurraim a thabhairt don oidhreacht seo. Tríd an scéal a chur le chéile ina chodanna agus é a chur i láthair trí mheáin éagsúla ceadóidh sé seo dúinn áit a chinntiú dó i gcuimhne na nglúnta atá le teacht.
Clár Comórtha Fhine Gall
D’oibrigh meitheal idir-rannach agus coiste stiúrtha Chomóradh Céad Bliain 1916 Fhine Gall le chéile go dlúth laistigh den Chomhairle le cinntiú go gclúdaíonn an clár ár sainréimsí uile. Is toradh é an clár ar chomhpháirtíocht le príomhpháirtithe leasmhara ar fud an chontae a ceapadh chun léiriú a thabhairt ar oidhreacht uathúil Fhine Gall agus í a chomóradh. Tá sé d’aidhm ag an gComhairle tacú leis an bhfonn láidir a bheith rannpháirteach i gcomóradh an róil a bhí ag muintir Fhine Gall in imeachtaí 1916, ar léir go soiléir é i measc an phobail anseo. Chuige seo tacóimid le daoine aonair agus le grúpaí imeachtaí agus tionscadail a reáchtáil mar chuid den Chomóradh Céad Bliain trí Chiste an Chéid. Chuidigh imeachtaí eolais a reáchtáladh leis an bpobal chun feasacht a spreagadh ar infhaighteacht an chiste agus chun dul i gcomhairle leis an bpobal ar an gclár chun tosaíochtaí a aithint do Chomóradh Céad Bliain 1916 Fhine Gall. Tháinig sé chun cinn gur ghnéithe a raibh tábhacht lárnach leo don phobal iad rannpháirtíocht daoine óga agus clár imeachtaí comhoibríoch agus cuimsitheach a bheith ann ar fud an chontae leis an nGaeilge mar bhonntaca aige.
Dá bharr seo tacóidh an Chomhairle le raon imeachtaí do dhaoine óga go sonrach agus déanfaidh iad a sheachadadh, lena n-áirítear iad siúd ónár bpobail nua, bunaithe ar fhilíocht, ar an amharclann, ar scannáin, ar léamha an fhorógra i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla, ar shearmanais chomórtha chur crann agus ar athachtuithe stairiúla i scoileanna. Tacóimid freisin leis an líonra d’ionaid phobail ar fud na tíre agus an Comóradh Céad Bliain á cheiliúradh acu ag leibhéal áitiúil.
Tabharfar cuireadh don phobal a bheith rannpháirteach sna hImeachtaí Comórtha Céad Bliain i bhFine Gall, thar na seacht sraith cláir uile, trí imeachtaí ar nós Laethanta Earraí Cuimhneacháin Fhine Gall, a reáchtálfar i bhFómhar 2015. Tabharfar cuireadh do ghaolta agus don phobal scéalta, déantáin, grianghraif dá naisc le scéal uathúil Fhine Gall agus an ról ríthábhachtach a bhí ag muintir Fhine Gall sa troid ar son saoirse na hÉireann i 1916, a chur isteach agus a chomhroinnt. Beidh an t-eolas taifeadta ar fáil mar chuid d’oidhreacht Chéad Bliain Fhine Gall i gcartlann ar líne chun urraim a thabhairt dóibh sin a bhí páirteach agus chun cur le próifíl suntais náisiúnta an róil ríthábhachtach a bhí ag Fine Gall sna himeachtaí seo do na glúnta atá le teacht.
Mar aon leis an gclár ilchineálach imeachtaí a forbraíodh go sonrach don Comóradh Céad Bliain léireoidh cuid mhaith dá gcláir seanbhunaithe téama an chomórtha. Díreoidh Memory Makers, clár bliantúil móréilimh a spreagann daoine os cionn a 55 chun machnamh a dhéanamh ar nóiméad atá speisialta dóibh ar féidir a léiriú trí mheáin cheirde éagsúla, ar chuimhní de Chéad Bliain 1916. Reáchtáladh Blasanna Fhine Gall, an Seó Contae a cheiliúrann oidhreacht talmhaíochta shaibhir agus táirgeadh bia áitiúil Fhine Gall, i Meitheamh 2015 agus d’fhreastail 65,000 duine air. Rinne ath-achtóirí ón SeanIRA agus ó Stair Bheo Mhíleata na hÉireann faoi éide bolscaireacht do Laethanta Earraí Cuimhneacháin Fhine Gall atá ag teacht aníos agus chuir le feasacht ar an gclár atá ag teacht aníos. Tá sé ceaptha an Comóradh a cheiliúradh i rith imeachta 2016.
Tabharfar an clár chun críche ar Lá Comórtha Céad Bliain 1916 Fhine Gall. Tionólfar an imeacht suaitheanta seo ag Caisleán Shoird agus ionchorprófar ann paráid, ath-achtuithe, bannaí máirseála, taispeántais, léamh an Fhorógra, ardú bratacha agus seoladh an choimisiúin ealaíon phoiblí. Ar cheann de mhórimeachtaí an imeachta beidh Rothaíocht na mBan, grúpa ban in éadaí na linne ag rothaíocht chun rannchuidiú mná Fhine Gall in imeachtaí 1916 a chomóradh. Is ar rothair a dhéanfaí cuid mhór de na teachtaireachtaí a sheachadadh chuig na hóglaigh, teachtaire baineann go minic, mar Mary (Molly) Adrien a d’iompair seoltaí ó Phádraig Mac Piarais in Ardoifig an Phoist go Thomas Ashe i gceantar Shoird. Beidh an imeacht seo mar chríoch ar an gcomhairliúchán agus ar an gcomhoibriú go léir idir an Chomhairle, Cumann Comórtha SeanIRA Fhine Gall, na gaolta agus ról níos leithne Fhine Gall i gcomóradh phobal Fhine Gall san Éirí Amach.