O’Conall Street

The drive from Flanders to the Somme takes you along the western front’s most famous sites. Arriving in the Somme valley, seeing the 74,000 names at Thiepval and acknowledging the epic achievements of the 36th Ulster Division, remembered at the Ulster Tower is thought provoking and utterly sobering. The blood sacrifice of the huge international army is everywhere. I counted 83 cemeteries just and forty seven nationalities.

Irishmen are everywhere. In the 16th Irish Division the fallen from ‘nationalist’ Ireland lie side by side with comrades from the UK, India, South Africa, Morrocco, France, Belgium, Canada and many more. Many of the states have since decided to erect their own memorials to the soldiers of the Great War. The finest is undoubtedly in Vimy where Canada built the most wonderful monument to its war dead. We arrived there from the living memorial that is the National South African monument at Devilles Wood. A wonderful circular building it makes no bones about South Africa’s own difficult history since the first world war. It’s a monument to everyone who went to war for the African state. From the Afrikaners in the Somme trenches to the ANC activists who fought for democracy, the building quite literally squares the circle and allows the modern republic to remember without undermining itself in any way.

The South African visit was a welcome boost after our pilgrimage to the only monument to the 16th Irish Division in the Somme. Nestled in the church grounds in Guilemont is a celtic cross. Do cum gloire Dé agus onora na hEireann (for the glory of god and the honour of Ireland) is the epitaph to the thousands who fell between the 3rd and 9th of September 1916 on the green fields of France. It is in stark contrast with the Ulster tower built within two years of the establishment of Northern Ireland and opened by the embodiment of the new jurisdiction, Edward Carson. They were quick to remember, it seems the ‘Free State’ was in a hurry to forget.

The flags of so many nations still fly today in France and Belgium. Some are still in the commonwealth although many are not. The empire is gone, Europe is at peace and still the flag that is missing is that of Ireland. Nowhere is the Republic of Ireland remembering its dead as a sovereign and independent state. The peace tower at Messine is wonderful and a fitting tribute to the first battle in which the two traditions fought side by side but it is ultimately a monument to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. It is surely time the Republic of Ireland, free, confident and proud take its place amongst the modern states to honour its sons who went to war for Ireland and who made the ultimate sacrifice.

We sat down beside young Willie McBride yesterday. He lies on the banks of the river Aucre in Authille Cemetery alongside Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindis and a lone German soldier.

Fearghal has us off to the Messine battlefield this morning. Ronan O’Brien has been looking forward to retracing William Redmond’s last hours. Like his fellow nationalist MP Tom Kettle who fell at the Somme his loss was a huge blow to the  16th Irish and the 36th Ulster. Yet another great Irishman down in a war some prefer to forget.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 am and is filed under Current Affairs, Personal, Politics, Public Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.