Relatives of Tipperary soldier killed 85 years ago attend restored memorial unveiling

Relatives of a young Carrick-on-Suir soldier, who died tragically in a horrific crash near Bunratty during The Emergency, were present at the unveiling of a restored monument commemorating the 21-year-old on the 85th anniversary of his death.

Members of the Coady family from Carrick-on-Suir were joined at the unveiling ceremony at Bunratty on October 3 by a group of Defence Forces veterans, who restored the monument dedicated to the late Private James Coady.

The Private James Coady Monument Bunratty Project Group of army veterans was formed to rescue the memorial erected in 1968 from obscurity.

Pte. Coady, who was from Ballyrichard, Carrick-on-Suir, was a member of the 7th Infantry Brigade Limerick and died while on manoeuvres with his comrades on October 5, 1941 when the army truck they were travelling in crashed near Bunratty Castle.

Fifteen other soldiers were seriously injured in the devastating accident.

Private Coady's niece Breda Tobin from Carrick spoke on behalf of the Coady family at the unveiling ceremony.

She said James was young with his whole life ahead of him, with hopes, dreams, family and people who loved him when his life was tragically cut short during military manoeuvres.

“Eighty-five years is a very long time. Generations have come and gone. The world has changed beyond recognition. Yet one thing has remained unchanged. James Coady has not been forgotten,” she told those gathered at the ceremony.

“When James joined the army, he became part of something bigger than himself. He became part of the Army family.

“Although he was taken from that family far too soon, the Army has never stopped remembering him. This is what makes this monument so meaningful.

“It's not simply a stone, a name or a date. It's a promise. A promise that his service mattered. A promise that his life mattered. And above all, a promise that he will continue to be remembered.”

Breda said there was another kind of remembrance for Pte. Coady's family.

“We never had the opportunity to meet James Coady. We know him through the stories that were passed down through the generations. Stories of the young man he was, the life he lived and the person they lost.

“We inherited memories of James from the words of others. And perhaps that's one of the most powerful things about remembrance. A person can be gone 85 years and still be remembered today.

“We can speak his name, we can tell his story, and we can make sure that future generations will understand that behind every memorial there was once a young person with a life, a family and a future.”

Breda paid tribute to the Defence Forces for ensuring one of its own has not been forgotten.

“May this monument stand as a reminder of his service, his sacrifice and the bond between a soldier and the Army family he joined.

“He served, he loved, he was missed but he was never forgotten. And today we remember him together,” she concluded.

The Private James Coady monument is now listed as Number 12 on the Bunratty Heritage Trail.

His family was presented with a plaque at the ceremony that will be erected in his hometown of Carrick-on-Suir.