Ballyseedy commemoration told greatest honour any community can bestow is that of remembrance

Those were the words of historian, Dr Tim Horgan, who delivered an oration at a commemoration held at the Ballyseedy memorial today.

Eight Republicans lost their lives at Ballyseedy, outside Tralee, during the Civil War in March 1923.

Nine prisoners had been taken from Ballymullen Barracks, brought to that location, and tied to a landmine which was detonated, killing eight of them.

This non-political event was organised by the National Graves Association and Ballyseedy Memorial Committee, and was one of a number of events held yesterday and today to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Civil War atrocities in Kerry.

Historian, Dr Tim Horgan is Secretary of the Ballyseedy Memorial Committee, and Kerry representative for the National Graves Association.

He delivered the oration at this event at the Ballyseedy memorial this afternoon.

He said the greatest honour any community can bestow is that of remembrance.

He said it was fitting people gathered for the event, not beneath political banners, but that they assembled as a community, a people remembering its own.

He said the event was a small repayment of a large debt owed to the eight men who paid for our liberty with their lives.

He noted to ignore might be convenient to some, but for him and those gathered, to forget would be to betray.

At this commemoration today, wreaths were laid by relatives of the men killed at Ballyseedy; and a colour party stood in front of the memorial throughout the ceremony with flags including the tricolour, and Cumann na mBan's flag.

Mise Éire, the Irish-language poem by Pádraig Pearse, was recited, and the song, Ballyseedy, was sung, with Amhrán na bhFiann played on the pipes closing the ceremony.

 

A lament played by Denis Patrick, grandnephew of Caption Jack O’Reilly of Tralee and fought and died in Galway during the 1916 Rising:

 

[video width="640" height="352" mp4="" autoplay="true" preload="auto"][/video]