Tour of the Graves

Saturday 29th April 2007 saw a very successful continuation to the calendar of events to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Loughgall Ambush on 8th May 1987.

The Tour of the Graves event started in Monaghan at the graveside of Vol. Jim Lynagh at 11.00am on Saturday morning. Cllr Colla McMahon chaired the proceedings and spoke briefly of his memories of the Loughgall ambush. The crowd then moved to the grave of Vol. Gerard O’Callaghan in Tullysaran.

Here Cllr Paul Corrigan, a close neighbour and personal friend who grew up with Gerard chaired the event. He spoke touchingly about early childhood memories telling several anecdotes which displayed their close relationship, from school days when they both started on the same day stabbing each other with their pencils on their first morning up through the early days of the troubles when they both found themselves in Crumlin Rd jail together and ending with Gerard being Godfather to Paul’s first son a couple of months before he lost his life in Loughgall. Tony Gildernew closed with his memories of Gerard in Long Kesh on the blanket protest and spoke of his steadfastness as an Irish Republican and his unshakeable belief that he was right.

The next grave was that of Vol. Padraig McKearney in the Moy. Here Cllr. Phelim Gildernew chaired the commemoration. The speaker was Maura McKearney, Padraig’s 79 year old mother who received a rapturous welcome. She thanked the large crowd of people for making the effort to attend and for organising the events. Maura told the assembled crowd that if Padraig was watching he would be touched and very proud at the size of the crowd who were there 20 years on to show their appreciation for what these men had given in the cause of Irish unity.

Edendork was the next stop on the agenda at the grave of Vol. Paddy Kelly. Cllr Barry Monteith chaired the proceedings. He called on Paddy’s daughter Triona to say a few words. Triona spoke of her father, when she was finished there was no-one present who wasn’t deeply touched and moved by her words. Her contribution was extremely emotional and it brought home to many of the people there the personal loss that so many people felt aside, from the terrible tragedy for the Republican Movement.

The crowd which had by now grown to approx 300 moved to Galbally where several hundred more were waiting for the ceremony to start. Cllr Micky Gillespie started the commemoration in memory of Vol. Declan Arthurs and Vol. Seamus Donnelly. The first speaker was Brian Arthurs, Declan’s brother. Again he spoke movingly of his brother and of his memories of them attending a torch light vigil in the Moy in 1980 whilst Tommy McKearney and his comrades were embarking upon the first hunger strike. He then recalled the effect it had on both of them and many other young Nationalists and Republicans in the area when their neighbour Vol. Martin Hurson died on the 2nd huger strike in July 1981. This was instrumental in forming the revolutionary soldier Declan was to become before he was finally cut down in Loughgall in 1987.

Brian was followed by Seamus Donnelly’s sister Collette. Again she brought home the personal tragedy and emotion recalling Seamus’ love of Irish culture and in particular his fondness for playing the banjo at sessions and parties around the area. She told the assembled crowd of how she used to be sent to call Seamus in the morning only to find him sitting up in bed with the banjo on his knee and how after a night out he would regularly call home for his banjo to go to a party or session before the night was done.

The crowd which by now was well beyond the 500 mark moved on to Altmore and the graveside of Vol. Eugene Kelly. John Joe Hagan took control here and again his own memories of Eugene touched everyone there. His dedication to the cause was spoken of and John Joe recalled the last time he had spoke to Eugene just before returning to Long Kesh from compassionate parole when Eugene stopped to have a word when he met him on the road. Eugene’s brother Gabriel gave his memories of Eugene as a brother and ended with his niece Cara-Rose playing a lament on the tin whistle.

After refreshments in Galbally Community Centre where the men and women of Galbally put on a fine and welcome spread we moved on to Aughnagar for the final leg of the Tour of the Graves at Vol. Tony Gormley’s graveside. Cllr Sean McGuigan oversaw this ceremony and again he recalled his own personal thoughts and memories of Tony as a friend and neighbour from childhood. Tony’s sister Marie spoke again movingly and eloquently of her brother and the constant harassment he endured as a soldier of Óglaigh na hÉireann. She recalled how a week before Loughgall happened she saw Tony speaking to two men at her fathers farm and when she enquired who they were. Tony told her it was plain clothes policemen who had told him they wanted to see him before they shot him. This type of intimidation was par for the course for many Republican’s during the war throughout Tyrone and Tony shrugged it off as just another example of such behaviour, little did any of them know what lay ahead.

Having concluded the Tour of the Graves the by now huge crowd moved across the road to the car park of Aughnagar chapel where a beautiful and fitting tribute to all IRA Volunteers from the area had been erected by local activists under the auspices of the Tyrone National Graves Association. Bronwyn McGahan, chairperson of the South Tyrone Comhairle Ceantair chaired this part of the commemoration and after two of Tony’s brothers unveiled the monument Danny Morrison gave an overview of the conflict during this period and recalled how he knew many of the families effected personally and how only for their daring and ultimately their sacrifice none of what has developed since in the political spectrum would be a reality. The hugely successful day ended with the playing of Amhrán na BhFiann and people made their way home with a mixture of sadness and pride which will live on in the hearts of those who knew them and indeed those who didn’t know them personally but feel that they did as the stories of these brave and gallant soldiers will live on throughout Tyrone and across the world for generations to come.

The Loughgall Commemoration Committee