A restored monument commemorating a young Carrick-on-Suir soldier tragically killed in a horrific army truck crash near Bunratty during The Emergency, is to be unveiled on the 85th anniversary of his death next month.
The monument dedicated to 21-year-old Defence Forces Private James Coady has been rescued from obscurity, renovated and relocated by a group of Defence Forces veterans. And members of the Carrick man’s family will be in attendance at the unveiling ceremony at the new memorial site (pictured above) on October 5.
History can sometimes fade from view, hidden not only by the passing of time but also by the changing landscape around us. Yet some stories refuse to be forgotten. The story of Pte. Coady is one of them, thanks to this group of ex-servicemen.
James was born on February 19, 1920, into the Coady family of Ballyrichard Road, Carrick-on-Suir, the eldest son of John and Bridget Coady.
As the eldest of eight children, much responsibility rested on his young shoulders. The Coady family experienced the tragic loss of James’s younger sisters, Kate and Statia, before his young life was also cut short.
Inspired by a sense of duty beyond his years, James enlisted as a volunteer when he was just a teenager.
He was called up to army service at the age of 19 and enlisted in the 10th Battalion. On February 21, 1939, just over six months before the outbreak of World War Two, he was transferred into the 12th Battalion, which at that time was part of the 7th Infantry Brigade Limerick.
It was while on manoeuvres during The Emergency that Pte. Coady was killed in an accident involving an army truck near Bunratty Castle in the early hours of October 5, 1941
Fifteen soldiers were injured and Private James Coady died in the accident.
His military service ended in tragedy, at the age of 21. His loss devastated his family. He had only visited them the previous month, on September 9, while on leave.
His remains were brought home to Carrick-on-Suir, where he was buried alongside his sisters. He left behind his heartbroken parents, his two brothers Michael and John and his three sisters Mary, Bridie and Nell.
The sorrow did not end there for the Coady family. James’ father, John Coady died in 1950, followed by his son John.
John Coady died on October 30, 1962 at London’s Tilbury docks while working in compressed air.
Bridget Coady died in 1964, but not before she successfully claimed her son’s army pension. She became the first person ever to receive this pension following the death of her husband. It was seen as recognition of the sacrifice made by her son James and provided some measure of compensation for his death.
Nearly three decades after James’ death his sacrifice was formally recognised. In 1968, a monument was erected close to the site at Bunratty where he was killed. The memorial was unveiled by his brother Michael Coady, in a moving ceremony that ensured James’ name would live on.
For many years, the monument was lovingly cared for by two soldiers, Michael Maguire and Christy Collins. Michael sadly passed away over a year ago. They considered it their duty to keep James’ memory alive.
Annual commemorations continued, and members of the Coady family attended whenever possible. The last memorial service took place in 2001 and was attended by James’s sister Bridie Coady, the last remaining sibling of the family.
As the years passed, change came to Bunratty. Road improvements altered the landscape, and the monument gradually disappeared from public view. Hidden behind a new road infrastructure, it fell into neglect and disrepair. Many people travelled past each day without ever knowing it was there.
Then early this year, a remarkable chain of events began.
Michael Walsh and Joe Orpen learned this forgotten monument to a young soldier had become hidden from sight. Believing that no soldier's sacrifice should ever be forgotten, Michael recorded a video and shared it on Facebook, asking if anyone in Carrick-on-Suir knew of Pte. James Coady.
The response was immediate.
Determined to restore both the monument and the memory it represented, local volunteers formed the Private James Coady Monument Bunratty Project Group.
Their aim was simple but important; to rescue the memorial from obscurity and relocate it to a prominent position where future generations could see it, remember it and learn James Coady’s story.
At the same time, Stephen Kelly began tracing James Coady’s descendants. His search led him to James' nephew Vincent Walsh in Chicago. He is Nell Coady’s son. Vincent contacted his siblings living in Carrick-on-Suir. With the new contact made, threads of a family history that stretched across generations and continents were brought back together.
The rediscovery of James Coady’s story became far more than the restoration of a weathered monument; it became the restoration of a family’s history, a community’s memory, and a young soldier’s place in the story of Ireland.
The restored monument is due to be unveiled on October 5, the 85th anniversary of the death of Pte. James Coady.
Visitors who stand before the restored memorial will see more than stone and inscriptions.
They will see the story of a 15-year-old volunteer, who gave his youth in service, a 21-year-old whose life ended far too soon, a grieving family who carried his memory through generations and a community that refused to allow his sacrifice to disappear.
Private James Coady’s monument will now stand not only as a tribute to one soldier but a reminder that remembrance is itself an act of service.
Every generation has a responsibility to preserve the stories entrusted to it.
Because while roads may change and monuments may become hidden, the courage of those who served should never be lost.
1. The late Private James Coady memorial
Members of the Private James Coady Monument Bunratty Project Group. | Breda Tobin