Tag Archives: Munster Fusiliers

News

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

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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.

News

Councillor Asks For Two Glass Panels To Be Erected At Munster Fusiliers Monument

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The Munster Fusiliers monument at Ballymullen.

A TRALEE councillor is proposing that two glass panels be erected at the Munster Fusiliers monument in Ballymullen.

Independent Cllr Sam Locke will bring his motion to the Kerry County Council at their monthly meeting on Monday.

The proposed glass panels will be inscribed with the names of men who died in World War 1.

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One panel is to be dedicated to the members of the Royal Munster Fusiliers’ and the second panel to members of other regiments to be located at the back of the existing monument.

Cllr Locke,  who had relations who fought for the regiment, put forward an emergency motion at a Tralee Municipal Area meeting in July, that he wanted the Council to further enhance the monument by including the names of those who died from Tralee on the monument, or erecting another plaque nearby.

The monument has been a bone of contention with some residents in the area because they were not consulted about its erection back in May.

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One resident, Dermot Cotter – who is vehemently opposed to the erection of a monument to a British Regiment in the area – intends to establish a support group with the intention of getting the monument removed from the area, by any means necessary, up to and including court action.

News

Cllrs Want All Tralee WW1 Dead To Be Honoured On Controversial Monument

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The monument to the Royal Munster Fusiliers in Ballymullen.

TRALEE councillors have agreed that they would like to change the wording on the new Ballymullen monument which has caused controversy in recent weeks.

A local resident raised objections that there was no public consultation with the public prior to erecting a monument to a British Army regiment, the Royal Munster Fusiliers, in the Christ the King Park in Ballymullen. The wording on the monument is ‘Let Us Remember The Royal Munster Fusiliers – 1914-1918.’

Cllr Sam Locke (Ind), who had relations who fought for the regiment, put forward an emergency motion at the Tralee Municipal Area meeting on Monday, that he wanted the Council to further enhance the monument by including the names of those who died from Tralee on the monument, or erecting another plaque nearby.

He said that the men who joined the  Fusiliers did so out of necessity to feed their families rather than any loyalty to the Crown and many of them subsequently went on to fight for Irish independence.

Cllr Locke said he had been approached by family members of these men, who would like to see their names published on the monument.

Cllr Pa Daly (Sinn Fein), said he too had a relative who died in World War 1 and didn’t have a problem honouring the people from the town who died during the conflict in World War 1.

However, he did have a problem with the monument being dedicated solely to the Munster Fusiliers regiment as more than half the Tralee people who died were in other regiments fighting for both the British and other countries around the world.

Cllr Daly proposed to change the wording to ‘To Remember The Men of Tralee Who Died in World War 1’ and that it would be almost impossible to inscribe the names of all the people on the memorial or plaque.

Cllr Toireasa Ferris (Sinn Fein) agreed and proposed ‘All Tralee People Who Lost Their Lives  During World War 1’ in case a historian later found there were some women from town who died in the conflict.

Cllr Locke agreed with this and asked Council Management could this be done. He also asked if a list of those Tralee people who died in the Great War could be compiled in the future.

John Breen of Kerry County Council said they would have to go back to the sculptor and see how practical it is to make the changes. He said the last thing they want to do is have a monument where it has been recognisably altered.

He said it will either be done on the present monument or re-cast. He also said they would look into the issue of the list of names.