Athlone, Dundrum, Galway, Lusk and Wexford To Remember The Victims Of The RIC
This weekend will see wreaths laid in Athlone, Dundrum, Galway, Lusk and Wexford to remember the victims of the RIC, Black & Tans, Auxiliaries and other British forces during the revolutionary period. The wreath-laying events have been organsied by Éirígí For A New Republic in response to Fine Gael’s failed attempt to rehabilitate and commemorate the terrorist RIC.
The locations and timings of the five events are as follows:
Athlone - Athlone Brigade monument, Custume Place, 2.30pm, Sunday, January 12th.
Dundrum - St Nahi’s Church, Churchtown Road Upper, 11am, Saturday, January 11th.
Galway - Liam Mellows monument, Eyre Square, Galway City, 2pm, Saturday, January 11th.
Lusk - Old Church Graveyard, Lusk, Co Dublin, 12pm, Saturday, January 11th.
Wexford - ‘Men of Iron’ monument, The Faythe, Wexford Town, 11am, Saturday, January 11th.
Speaking from Wexford Éirígí activist Gary O’Brien said, “For decades Fine Gael and the wider political establishment have been attempting to rewrite Irish history by downplaying the savage reality of British colonialism in Ireland.
On this occasion their attempt to portray the terrorist RIC as a legitimate police force upholding legitimate law was met with a massive push-back from the Irish people. The personal stories about the RIC that have been passed down through so many Irish families flatly contradicted Charlie Flanagan’s version of them ‘just doing their job’.
Éirígí has organised five commemorative events across the country this weekend to get the focus back to where it should be - on the victims of the RIC, the Black & Tans, the Auxies and the British Army.
The wreath-laying events in Athlone, Galway and here in Wexford are being held at well known local monuments. In both Dundrum and Lusk the wreathes will be laid on the graves of people who were killed by the British forces during the revolutionary period.
Each event will consist of a short, dignified, symbolic commemoration for all those who died at the hands of the RIC and other British forces. I’d like to invite anyone who wants to take a few minutes out of their day to join us in commemoration to come along to the event nearest to them.”