Tuam’s 1916 Commemoration Sunday 24 April 2016

Tuam’s 1916 Commemoration will be hosted by the Old Tuam Society on Sunday 24 April 2016 at 2.30pm, the centenary of the start of the Easter Rising. This free public event, in partnership with Galway County Council, will take place at the restored 1916 Monument on Bishop St. followed by light refreshments afterwards.

This monument, first unveiled at the 50th Anniversary commemoration in 1966, is currently being restored on behalf of the Society. The restoration involves replacing the handcrafted metalwork missing from the monument. A new commemorative centenary plaque will also be unveiled at the base.

The Society is honoured to welcome relatives and descendants of Irish Volunteer and Fianna Éireann leader Liam Langley, Cloonthue, Tuam, who will lay a wreath. They will also be joined by families of local Volunteer and War of Independence veterans. The presence of the families is particularly significant as many of their ancestors were present for the original unveiling of this monument.

This formal commemorative event, in partnership with Galway County Council, remembering and honouring those who took part in the Easter Rising will include a reading of the Proclamation. The Community Support unit of the Dept. of Defence has granted members of the Defence Forces to provide a Colour Party and Military Display at the event. We are also honoured to welcome members of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA), and Tuam Fire Brigade among others.

The Jubilee 1916 Monument at Bishop Street, Tuam, was unveiled on December 18 1966 and designed by Old Tuam Society Member Willie Mannion, who worked for the County Council at that time. The memorial originally bore brass numbering "1916-1966", with the symbol of the Sword of Light in the centre and was topped with a gilded capstone depicting the Gal Gréine or Sunburst emblem.

Willie Kelly, Stonemason, Bishop Street built and erected the monument , which was built using local stone and also included a stone from every county in Ireland in the base, which added to the significance of the monument and reflected the idea of a united Ireland. We are delighted that his son Liam has carried out the restoration work for the Centenary commemoration.