- County Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Rememembrance
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The County Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Rememembrance is a project to document natives of County Mayo who lost their lives in both World Wars.[1]
Contents
History
The park was conceived by Michael Feeney.[2] It was officially opened by Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland in October 2008.[1] The annual Remembrance Day Services to commemorate the World War dead began in 1999, when Feeney organised an official Remembrance mass in the Church of the Holy Rosary in Castlebar following research which showed that a significant number of County Mayo soldiers were killed in action in World War I and World War II.
Criticism
Because the peace park only commemorates those who fought for the British Army and not those who died in the Irish War of Independence and the Easter Rising the park has been criticized. A commemoration to Cornelius Coughlan, a Victoria Cross recipient for services during the Indian Mutiny, was described as a "war crime commemoration" by Dr Pat Muldowney, a historian and lecturer at the University of Ulster [3] Recently the Peace Park was described as "a monument to the British" by Fianna Fáil Mayo County Council group leader Al McDonnell. McDonnell specifically referred to the MBE accepted by Feeney and the laying of a plaque for a man who died in Iraq.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Irish named in Queen’s Birthday Honours List". Irish Post. http://www.irishpost.co.uk/tabId/60/itemId/2182/Irish-named-in-Queens-Birthday-Honours-List.aspx. Retrieved 24 October 2010. "Mr Feeney was made an MBE by the Queen in recognition of his service to Ireland-Britain relations through his Mayo Peace Park — Garden of Remembrance project. The park — officially unveiled by President Mary McAleese in October 2008 — commemorates Mayo’s fallen soldiers who served in wars and conflicts over the centuries."
- ^ Ryan, Áine (04-01-2010). "Mayo Peace Park founder honoured by Queen". Mayo News. http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8507:mayo-peace-park-founder-honoured-by-queen&catid=23&Itemid=46. Retrieved 29 October 2010. "Founder of the County Mayo Peace Park in Castlebar, Mr Michael Feeney was last week awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for services to UK-Ireland relations."
- ^ "Does Mayo Peace Park glorify "war criminals" as well as war heros?". The Connaught Telegraph. 08 October 2008.
- ^ "Mayo War Games". The Phoenix (magazine). 22 October 2010. http://www.thephoenix.ie/phoenix/subscriber/library/volume-28/issue-21/page-08-09.pdf. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
External links
Categories:- 2008 establishments in Ireland
- County Mayo
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