1967: Rosscarbery Honours It’s Native Patriot
The centenary of the 1867 Fenian Rising was marked in Rosscarbery by Tom Barry’s unveiling of a plaque to O’Donovan Rossa on Sunday, July 2nd 1967, in Rossa Street, formerly called Chapel Street.
This project to commemorate Rossa began in February 1967 when the local Muintir Na Tire guild decided to honour Rosscarbery’s great patriot. Members of the local organising committee included:
Jimmy McCarthy N.T. Newtown Chairman
Jackie Kingston Burgatia Secretary
Tom Hayes North Square Treasurer
Geoffrey Wycherley Ardagh
Brendan Kingston West Square
Kenneth Casey Tanyard Hill
Dan Coomey Church Street
Thady Collins East Rock
James Nagle Buratia
Paddy Hayes Downeen
The Dublin Committee, formed some months earlier, included:
John Duffy Chairman
D O’Suilleabhain Secretary
Eamonn De Barra
The programme of commemoration began on Saturday night with a lecture by Diarmuid Whooley, N.T., Timoleague, in Hodnett’s Hall, on “ Rossa and the Fenians”. This was followed by a concert, (admission 2/6), on Sunday. A special commemorative Mass for Rossa was celebrated by Fr. Hurley. At 3p.m. the parade through the town began, and after a number of speakers addressed the crowd, Tom Barry unveiled the plaque and delivered his oration.
The Southern Star of Saturday July 8th. 1967 reported as follows:” Almost 4,000 people attended the commemoration ceremony which was preceded by a parade through the town. The unveiling and subsequent addresses were followed by a presentation in the Carbery Arms Hotel to General Barry, made by the Dublin Rossa Committee, who jointly organised the commemoration with the Rosscarbery Committee. This presentation was followed by an Aeriocht in the Square. The plaque was inscribed in Irish and English, and was blessed by Fr. John Hurley.
The town en fete for the occasion, the local people having responded magnificently to the request to decorate their houses, which had been made the committee. Bunting was strung along the streets and banners of the four provinces were erected. The Carrigaline and Bandon F.C.A. bands led the parade. A contingent of the F.C.A. members of the West Cork Battalion provided a guard-of –honour, and rendered military honours.
Mr Geoffrey Wycherley, whose father chaired Rossa’s meetings in Rosscarbery, was the Master-of-Ceremonies. Walking in the parade with Tom Barry were an old Cork friend of his, Gene Sheehan, now resident in Boston, and 76 year old Rosscarbery man, Florence Moloney, who knew the patriot.”
Mr.J McCarthy N.T., Chairman, outlined the work which the committee had done and thanked all those who had helped and who attended the ceremony.
Entertainers in the aforementioned Aeriocht included local musicians, John Joe Hicks and Mary Collins, local boys and girls from the Rosscarbery schools, singer Sean O’Se, Deirdre Ni Dhuthaigh from Dublin, the Good Senior Dancers from Bandon, and Eamonn De Barra from Dublin.
Special commemorative badges were worn by those attending, and signs were erected to mark points of historic interest in the area.
We salute all those who were involved in this worthwhile and successful project and, of course, it’s subject, Diarmuid O Donnabhain Rossa.