News July 2005

Historic Tribute to Inishowen's World War I Dead

At a special ceremony at Dunree Fort on Sunday 10th July, more than 400 people paid their respects to Inishowen's World War I dead.

The occasion which was hailed as a great cross community success by the organisers, Inishowen Partnership's Friends of Messines and the Waterside's Maydown Ebrington Group, marked the first remembrance ceremony of its kind in Inishowen. The popularity of the event has led to moves to make it an annual fixture in Inishowen.

P.J. Hallinan, Chairman of Inishowen Partnership's Friends of Messines group, the main organiser of the event said that it was about time moves were made to pay tribute to those from the peninsula who lost their lives in one of the most brutal conflicts in world history. "More than 50,000 Irish men were killed in the brutality and slaughter of World War One and while people in Northern Ireland did a great amount to remember their dead, in Inishowen next to nothing was done in their honour. That is sickening to me and to the families of the people who fought and died, many believing that Home Rule would be granted if they did so." The challenge for us was to decide what we were going to do about it", he said.

According to Mr. Hallinan, Dunree Fort, a former British defence post, was the perfect venue."What better place could it be held at than Dunree where all the flags were flying on Sunday, the Tricolour, the Union Jack, the UN flag, the Donegal flag, the four provinces flag and more. Around 230 travelled to the ceremony from the North and two coach loads attended from East Belfast, 80% of whom had probably never been south of the border before and definitely not in Donegal." He added.