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::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::NEWSLETTER JULY 2004:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
UPDATE ON SERGEANT MAJOR COUGHLAN VC DEDICATION (1826-1915)
Plans for the dedication of the grave of Sgt Maj
Coughlan VC are at an advanced stage. A large attendance is expected at Aughavale
Cemetery, Westport, Co. Mayo on Sat 07 Aug 2004
at 1300 hrs.
The Minister for Defence will unveil a headstone dedicated to Sgt Maj Coughlan
VC.
The gallant Sgt Maj went to his eternal reward in 1915 at the age of 87. He
received his VC as a result of actions in Delhi in 1857 whilst serving with
the Stirlingshire Regiment (later Gordon Highlanders). He subsequently served
in 3 Bn, The Connaught Rangers and lived in Westport for 40 years. At the
time of this most popular hero's death a headstone was not erected. The course
of Irish history then changed the following year with the 1916 Rising and
honouring those many Irish soldiers who served in British Forces became unpopular
and eventually, this gallant soldier was forgotten about by most people. His
grave was unmarked, but thanks to the efforts of Mr. Jim McNally, the curator,
it was located.
Times have now changed and the with the advent of broader political horizons people are now in a position to view history with a new maturity and respect for other opinions and traditions. Military Heritage Tours Ltd are proud to announce that with the support from public subscription a headstone will be unveiled at the grave of Sgt Maj Coughlan VC.
The Victoria Cross is the world's most famous award for bravery, rivaled only
by the American Medal of Honour. Out of the 1354 VC's ever awarded, over 200
have been awarded to Irishmen. This wonderful record should not be forgotten
and the brave recipient's should be duly honoured.
The fact that an Irish Minister will dedicate this grave in the West of Ireland speaks volumes for changing attitudes and it is seen as a most magnanimous gesture. It is also a day in the history of this country that will in years to come be seen as a profound statement of political maturity.
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sreenan is kindly providing troops from the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) for this ceremonial occasion.
Many ex-servicemen's associations and disbanded regiments associations will
be present at this occasion. International media organisations
will attend and the ceremony will prove to be a wonderful photo opportunity.
Following the dedication, an Irish Military Heritage display will take place
in Murrisk village, 4 miles west of Westport. Organisations such as:
A.The Military Vehicles Club of Ireland
B. US Civil War re-enactors
C. Connaught Rangers re-enactors will be on display.
Any organisation who would also like to be part of this Irish Military Heritage display would be welcome. Please contact dbuckley@anu.ie or 353 86 8889 883.
Also information on the "Heroes Return" programme will be available.
The Heroes Return is a UK lottery funded scheme that enables war veterans,
accompanied by a family member or carer to visit a battlefield in which they
fought. Military Heritage Tours Ltd is proud to have been the company chosen
to facilitate Irish and other veterans living in the Republic to avail of
this scheme. This year alone we have brought relatives of WW1 veterans to
France and Belgium and we also brought veterans to Normandy in June for the
60th Anniversary commemorations of D Day and the Battle for Normandy.
Further tours are in the planning stage.
Outline plan as follows:
1300 Minister arrives, inspects Guard of Honour
1305 Minister escorted to graveside
1308 Inter-denominational graveside prayers
1313 Talk on Coughlan VC and joint Anglo Irish Military Heritage
1335 Minister makes dedication and unveils headstone
1345 Wreath laying on behalf of ONE, Disbanded Regiments and RBL, etc.
1350 Volley from Connaught Ranger Re-enactors and Last Post on CR Bugle with
Colour Parties rendering honours
1355 Reply on behalf of the guests
1430 Reception and Military Heritage display in Murrisk village (4 miles west)
People intending to travel to this unique event are advised to make accommodation
arrangements as soon as possible as August is the height of the tourist season
in this popular location.
More details may be had by contacting:
Capt Donal Buckley
dbuckley@anu.ie
www.militaryheritagetours.com
086 8889 883
MILITARY HOBBIES EXHIBITION
Immediately following the above dedication, a family day out for those with an interest in things military will take place. Anybody with an interest in exhibiting please contact me at dbuckley@anu.ie
Exhibits can include:
Re-enactors
Military Vehicles
Militaria
Medal collectors
Disbanded Regiments Associations
Pipe Bands
Any other relevant display
Following the success of MHTL’s Connaught’s Military Heritage
Seminar in the National Museum at Turlough, Castlebar I 2003 it is intended
to mark the 90th Anniversary of the out break of The Great War with a Seminar
in the Linen Hall in Castlebar. (The Linen Hall incidentally was the HQ of
French General Humbert during the 1798 Revolution).
This war had a traumatic effect on every town and village in Ireland and because
the political wind had changed following the end of the war the many, many
thousands of soldiers who fought were written out of history and forgotten.
It is only in the last number of years that people have had the courage to
raise their heads above the parapet of the one sided version of history received,
and to start acknowledging the horrendous sacrifice these Irish soldiers made.
This seminar will take place on the last weekend in August 2004 and all are
welcome.
Anybody who would like to present a lecture please contact us at dbuckley@anu.ie
or phone 353 (0)94 903 1344.
All are welcome.
The parade was reviewed by GOC Northern Ireland, Lt Gen P C C Trousdel CB who is the Regimental Colonel of the RIR. The Rev’d D D Caldwell CF TD RD, Chaplain to the Royal Ulster Rifles and the Royal Irish Rangers Association blessed the new Standard and the March Past included the Colours of all the Irish Regiments, past and present.
The day was most successful at every level. The guests included serving and retired Irish Army Officers and enlisted ranks. This represented a very important moment in the history of both Armies. This scenario could not have been contemplated in the recent past. Time has moved on and attitudes have changed. In spite of the differences between the peoples of this island and in these islands there is also much that we share. Some people may be uncomfortable with some aspects of history, but history is what happened and the maturity to recognise shared aspects of our history is something to be welcomed and is part of the healing process.
The tradition of Irish soldiering is a proud one. Irish soldiers have served
world wide in numerous armies.
Irish soldiers are honoured world-wide and the Republic’s Day of Commemoration
pays tribute to all Irish soldiers who fell in war and on peacekeeping operations,
no matter what uniform they wore. It is therefore right and proper that we
should also honour the Irish tradition in the British Army. The hospitality
extended to the visitors from the Republic was overwhelming. Military Heritage
Tours was delighted to be involved in this most historic occasion and look
forward to future shared events.
See Photo Gallery for more photos.
On Aug 31 the newly formed Military Vehicles Club of Ireland displayed their
wares in an impressive manner at a vintage show at Abbeyshrule, Co. Longford.
This is a club that is very promising and it has attracted a lot of members
from all over Ireland. Exhibits included old Irish Army vehicles along with
WW2 vintage vehicles, the “newest” being a UNIFIL water truck.
Also an impressive array of revolvers, pistols, rifles, sub,light,medium and
heavy machineguns.
for more photos see the photo gallery
Tours to Normandy continue in 2004, the 60th Anniversary year. The tour for
the actually anniversary is practically booked out. A similar tour is being
run in the spring and depending on demand, will be run accordingly.
Again contact us through the website or at dbuckley@anu.ie
(Also see Photo Gallery)
If anybody or any group, no matter how small wants a tour organised other that what is advertised do not hesitate to ask and we will organise a package for you.
We will provide tours for whatever level, be it 2nd Level Transition Year or more advanced. Also University Departments are very welcome to contact us.
It is now true to say that MHTL represents much more than simply a tour company.
It has in a very true sense become a facilitation company. This was never
more obvious than at the Old Comrades Day in Ballymena.
It was heart-warming to experience the warmth and sincerity of the welcome
accorded to the group, which we brought to the event. The level of hospitality
that we received was extraordinary and it reflects the openness of our hosts
and that the army that they are and are proud to serve.
To see some of our number meet old friends whom they had not seen for over
30 years and to see others settle down to exchange stories about mutual friends
from both Armies from long ago and not so long ago made the whole trip even
more worthwhile. Our experience of that event emphasises the need to do much
more to bring service and ex-service men and women of both forces together
in an appreciation of our shared tradition.
It is now time to bury the past, to move away from the unpleasantness and
rancour caused by the last 30 years of civil unrest and political upheaval.
The two forces were after all facing the same threat from terrorists of various
persuasions, but terrorists nevertheless. The Irish Army was fortunate in
that they escaped the level of violence and viciousness experienced by their
opposite numbers in Northern Ireland. This was due largely to a (cynical)
policy pursued by the IRA to avoid engaging the forces of what they call the
“Free State”, a policy retained because it suited them under the
circumstances. The time is now right for us to commemorate together our shared
and sometimes diverse military traditions.
2004 marks the 90thAnniversary of the start of WW1, an event that was to reach
into every street of every city, town and village in this country and decimate
a generation. It also marks 60 years since D Day, the turning point in another
savage war in which so many Irishmen, North and South, Catholic, Protestant
and others fought and died. The slaughter and waste of WW1 was a major tragedy
for this island, and, without the sacrifice of those men who fought and died
in WW” we would have been plunged into an age of darkness and barbarism
unequalled in the history of mankind. We must now remember and commemorate
all of these together and with those other Irish soldiers whom through the
centuries served loyally and well in the Armies of Britain, France, Austria,
Spain, the USA and many more who are less well known. The line comes to mind
“In those foreign fields from Dunkerque to Belgrade lie the Soldiers
and Chiefs of the Irish Brigade”.
We must now bring groups from both military traditions, together with those
who have not served, but who are interested in and appreciate our shared legacy
to the battlefields of Europe, Gallopolli and further afield to honour our
dead and to build understanding, comradeship and trust among us living on
and sharing this small island for the term of our fragile and too short lives.
For far too long has our shared tradition been hidden and obscured, for many
reasons, all of which we know. We, on both sides of the border were victims
of systems, which presented a very singular version of our history. It dealt
with each tradition in isolation and never showed the other side in an objective
light or never referred to shared experiences, sacrifices or hardships. These
are the issues, which we must address. We must undo the airbrushing of our
shared history. Many of us may not like the outcome of many historical events,
but History is as it happened and if we understand and accept this, then we
are well on our way to accepting and respecting each other.
We are not trying to glorify war, rather we want to present the humanity of
those who served and the bond of brotherhood that drew together men from all
parts of Ireland and from al political and religious persuasions to serve
in a common cause. We want also to reflect on the individual tragedy of each
life lost.
We can then stand on a WW1 battlefield with a mixed group from Northern Ireland
and the Republic and commemorate the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish
Division and then with the same group move to the battlefield of Fontenoy
to honour the Irishmen of both sides who fell in that battle. On the French
side there were six Irish regiments of Foot and one of Horse in the service
of King Louis XV. They faced many Irishmen on the Allied side serving in many
Regiments including the illustrious Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
We will have moved a long way to achieving our objective of helping to create a better place, in which all of us of whatever tradition or background and regardless of where we served, can appreciate each other for what we really are, and not as perhaps we imagined each other to be, and move freely amongst all our Brothers-in-Arms.
IN REMEMBRANCE
Your prayers are requested for an old comrade and friend of MHTL
Lt Col Mick (Dingle) Daly, 2 Eastern Brigade Logistics Officer, formerly of
27 Bn and 8 Bn and numerous overseas missions was laid to rest on 04 Sept
03. Sincere condolences to his wife Christine, his mother, brothers and his
innumerable comrades.
A fine soldier and a dreadful loss, May he rest in Peace.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anaim dílís (That his noble soul
maybe at God’s right hand side)