More than 2000 attend Co. Tipperary’s Soloheadbeg Ambush centenary commemoration 

More than 2000 people gathered at the Soloheadbeg Ambush memorial in front of Solohead Church on Sunday to commemorate the centenary of the firing of the first shots of the War of Independence. 

The famous Soloheadbeg Ambush carried out by eight Volunteers of the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA on the same day the first meeting of the Dail took place set off a chain of events that culminated in independence for this State. 

The centenary commemoration, organised by a committee from the local community, honoured the legacy of those Volunteers, but also the two RIC constables killed in the ambush and the two council workers caught up in the violence as they  transported gelignite to a quarry.  

Caption: Pictured at the Soloheadbeg Ambush memorial on Sunday were Louise O'Donovan, Olive O'Connor, Brenda O'Connor, Joe O'Connor, Niamh O'Donovan, Lucy O'Connor, grandchildren of Third Tipperary Brigade Volunteer Tadgh Crowe. Picture John D. Kelly

Commemoration ceremony

The day  began with a Mass celebrated in Solohead Church by Archbishop of Cashel & Emly Dr Kieran O'Reilly and attended by the families of the 12 men involved in the ambush. 

 As the Mass took place, the crowd gathering outside for the official commemoration gradually swelled as shuttle buses from Tipperary Racecourse ferried visitors to the memorial site. The Charles J Kickham Brass Band and Sean Treacy Pipe Band provided musicial entertainment while  visitors  waited. 

The ceremony began with a guard of honour of students from Monard National School leading political and civic dignitaries to the memorial.  

  Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan laid a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the Irish Government, in remembrance of all who suffered and who lost their lives during the Independence struggle.

 Wreaths were also laid by Tipperary Co. Council chairman Cllr Mattie Ryan and Cashel/Tipperary Municipal District chairman Cllr Michael Fitzgerald; Eamon O'Donnell   on behalf of the Third Tipperary Old IRA Commemoration Committee and by Hilda Franklin of the Solohead Parish Centenary Committee. 

Monard NS students  presented the wreaths to all  the  wreath layers.

 Solohead Centenary Committee PRO Tim Hanly was the Master of Ceremonies 

The names of the 12 men involved in the Soloheadbeg Ambush were read to the crowd by fellow Committee member Michael Ryan, who produced a commemorative booklet about the ambush  for the  occasion.  

Minister Madigan said it was very fitting that the significance of what happened in Soloheadbeg a century ago was  being  remembered with a respectful, community-led commemoration, supported by Tipperary County Council and the State. 

She commended the efforts of the Solohead Parish Centenary Commemoration Committee and the Third Tipperary Brigade Old IRA Commemoration Committee for ensuring the ceremony was authentic, appropriate, inclusive and meaningful. 

"This thoughtful and sensitive approach to the remembrance of the events that took place here, a century ago, will undoubtedly help to promote a mature and considerate reflection on their significance and legacy. 

“By approaching the difficult legacies of our past with understanding, empathy and a generosity of spirit, and by acknowledging and remembering all of the lives lost during this period, we have revisited painful memories, creating the possibility of reciprocal compassion and reconciliation. It is not easy and it challenges us to open our hearts and minds to one another in a spirit of mutual respect and kindness,” she added.  

Her speech was followed by Dr Martin Mansergh unveiling a Heritage Information Board  at the memorial and addressing the commemoration.  

The Proclamation of the Republic was then read by Michael Maguire, the national flag was raised by members of the Defence Forces and the National Anthem was played.  

The ceremony concluded with an oration given by  FF TD Éamon Ó'Cuiv, grandson of Éamon De Valera, and closing speeches from Eamon O'Donnell, chairman of the Third Tipperary Old IRA Commemoration Committee and Solohead Commemoration Committee chairman Oliver Coffey.

Read full coverage of the commemoration in this week’s printed edition of The Nationalist now in all local shops.