Cllr Locke Plays Down Threats And Hopes Monument Work Will Be Completed By End Of Year

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Sam Locke 1

Cllr Sam Locke. File Photo

A TRALEE councillor has played down threats to his safety and wants to focus on getting a Ballymullen monument to Tralee’s World War 1 dead  completed by the end of the year.

Cllr Sam Locke brought a motion to Kerry County Council on Monday to erect two glass panels at the Royal Munster Fusiliers monument in memory of those who died in World War 1.

One glass panel is to be inscribed with the names of people from the area who died in World War I while the other will contain the names of those from the Munster Fusiliers regiment who died in The Great War.

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Council Management, in their reply, stated that the cost per panel would be between €5,000 and €7,000 and would be a matter for members of the Tralee Municipal District. They also said they had received notification of an intention by an individual to initiate legal proceedings on the matter.

“I won’t be giving in to any threats from groups in regard to legalities,” said Cllr Locke at the meeting on Monday.

He also said he had received threats to his personal safety regarding the erection of the monument.

Speaking to TraleeToday.ie on Wednesday morning, Cllr Locke said he took the threats to his safety with a pinch of salt and didn’t want to give any further credence to any individuals on the matter.

Cllr Locke said much work has been done by historian Russell McMoran and Liam Nolan of the Royal Munster Fusiliers Association (RMFA) in compiling the 200 names of Tralee people who died during the Great War, 87 of whom were in the Royal Munster Fusiliers, to be included on the panel.

As for the monument, he said he was hopeful that the work would be completed by the end of the year.

“If it’s a matter of finance, Mr Nolan said they [RMFA] would have a collection and raise funding, but if it came down to it I’d raise it myself,” he said.

He said the general feeling in town is that people are fully supportive on the matter and feel it’s right to recognise the people from the town who died in the Great War.

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