On Sunday, a memorial service led by President Michael D Higgins commemorated the 88 men and women from the armed services who lost their lives in former wars and United Nations peacekeeping operations. This significant yearly occasion occurred at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin this year, concluding in a presentation of a wreath by the President in recognition of the Irish populace. Retired military personnel and families described the occasion as deeply emotional and of great significance.
Sunday saw seven additional commemorations – one at Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork City, another at the University of Galway, one at Kilkenny Castle, one on Limerick City and County Council premises, one at Sligo’s town hall, and a final one at the John Condon Memorial in Waterford City.
At the Dublin event, the ceremony was conducted without speeches. Instead, it revolved around prayerful thought and musical contributions from Band 2 brigade’s brass and drum section, as well Kelli-Ann Masterson’s solo performance and Sgt Joe Meade’s solo bagpipe performance.
The ceremony continued with the formal entrance of the Council of State members into the quadrangle, followed by the Cabinet, Taoiseach Simon Hartis, and ultimately, the President. Leading figures from Ireland’s predominant religions – including Judaism, Islam, Presbyterianism, Georgian Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Church of Ireland, Methodism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Humanism – offered reflective thoughts.
Rev Andrew Dougherty from the Methodist Church in Ireland commented on the straightforwardness of speaking about peace compared to the challenge of achieving it, especially regarding breaking down barriers to live as peacekeepers. Rev Jay Hodo Roche from the Irish Buddhist community encouraged attendees to reflect on the shared experiences of joy and sorrow among all individuals.
Following the laying of a wreath by Mr Higgins, a minute’s silence was observed which came to an end with the cannon’s blast. A trumpeter and drummers performed The Last Post accompanied by a half-minute drumroll as the nation’s flag was raised to its peak. The ceremony came to closure with the national anthem, performed by Ms Masterson and Band 2 Brigade, followed by a flyover by the Irish air-corps.
The former general Kieran Brennan, who is the honorary president of Irish United Nations Veterans’ Association, spoke about the substantial importance of the event. Brennan retired in 2009 after an impressive 44-year service that sent him to locations such as Lebanon, Kosovo, and Chad.
The event resonated deeper as it elicited memories of the 88 individuals who lost their lives, as well as two young men who never returned home. The names of those men are young trooper Patrick Mullins from Limerick who went missing in Congo since 1961, and private Kevin Joyce, a young boy from Inis Oírr in the Aran Islands who went missing in Lebanon since 1981.
Grainne Brady and Lisa Mack, cousins, attended the event to remember their grandfather and great-grandfather, Tom Brady and Joe Brady respectively, who served in the British army during World War I. Grainne mentioned that this was their first time participating in such a ceremony and it definitely meant a lot to them.
She pointed out that while those who died in World War I in Ireland are often remembered, a good percentage did return and faced traumatic experiences without any concrete support. This lack of support resulted in them facing certain societal scorn.
They proudly displayed framed photographs of Tom Brady, who joined the war effort at 15 by lying about his age and went to Europe as a soldier. He passed away in 1989 at the age of 92 and the women fondly remember him as ‘a wonderful man’.
Both the men survived the war and decided to reside in Dún Laoghaire. Joe Brady passed away in the 1960s.