This article is from page 15 of the 2014-02-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
A SITE has been identified in Ennis for the establishment of a park to honour the memory of Clare people who died in conflicts around the world.
A green area between Glór and the Temple Gate Hotel will be the location for the Clare Peace Park. There are already plans to erect a sculpture to recognise the sacrifices of men and women who fought in conflicts such as the Vietnam War
The € 200,000 sculpture will be funded by the Vietnam Veteran’s Advocacy Group, whose members have been regular visitors to Ennis.
The memorial will include the following inscription:
“This memorial is dedicated to the Irish men and women who served in Allied military service in south East Asia during the period 1959-1975. Those who were lost are listed in the order in which they were taken.” A Mayo artist has secured the tender for the project.
A local group, the Clare Peace Park Initiative, are proposing to erect a memorial to the estimated 700 Clare soldiers who served in World War I.
The group was founded in December 2012 from a Remembrance Day Service Committee.
It is intended that the park would be a focal point for the existing commemoration ceremony that takes place on November 11 each year.
Dr Keir McNamara of the Clare Peace Park Initiative explained;
“We also intend to remember those who died from Clare in international conflicts since then.
A total of 45 Clare men died in the Second World War (1939-1945), two in The Spanish Civil war (1936-1939) and two in Korea (1950-1953).”
The group are asking anyone who may have information on Clare people who fought in World War I to contact them.
Further information is available on www. clarepeaceparki nt iat ive. com and the group’s Facebook page.
The group also intends to launch a fundraising initiative.
“In a few years you’re going to have the centenaries 1916/17 so if we don’t get things going we may lose momentum,” added Dr McNamara.