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Armistice Day commemoration at
Dunree
06.11.18
A COMMEMORATION at Port Bán
beach, Dunree on Sunday, 11 November, will be part of Pages
of the Sea, Danny Boyle’s commission for 14-18 NOW
to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.
The event organised by Artlink is an informal,
gesture of remembrance for the millions of men and
women who left their home shores during the First
World War, many never to return.
At Port Bán the art group will unveil a stunning
large scale portrait of seaman John Patrick Buckley
from County Cork who lost his life, along with over
350 others, on the SS Laurentic after it sank at the
mouth of Lough Swilly, in January 1917. It is
significant that Port Bán looks out to the site of
the tragedy. Built in Belfast, the Laurentic was
used by the government to transport gold during the
war and sank after she struck mines laid by a German
U-Boat. John Patrick’s body was never found.
From 2pm - 4pm attendees can get involved in
stencilling and have the opportunity to hear some of
the poems written by the community and view the
artwork created by local school children. A free
shuttle bus will run every 20 minutes, from Fort
Dunree to the beach. Hot drinks and refreshments
will be available from The Coffee Cup at Fort Dunree
and Triskele Coffee at Port Bán. |
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John Patrick Buckley. |
Ahead of the
commemoration on Sunday, 11th November, Artlink will
be hosting several free community events:
- School workshops with local artists on the theme
of remembrance will be held on Tuesday 6th and
Wednesday 7th November. The schools involved are St Egney's Desertegney, Scoil Ìosagàin and St Oran's PS
Cockhill.
- 'Nationalist Veterans in the First World War: the
True Story' a talk by Seamus Breslin at Buncrana
Community Library will be on Wednesday, 7th
November, from 6.30pm - 7.30pm. This is an
illuminating talk about the post armistice
experiences of all WW1 veterans from the North West
of Ireland, but in particular that of the
nationalist veterans whose story has seldom been
told. It questions the perception that these
veterans were shunned by their community,
demonstrating that they were well respected
throughout the 1920s and 30s, took part in the War
of Independence and protested for the rights of
disabled war veterans.
- Poetry workshops on the theme of remembrance with
author Aileen Mc Gee will take place at Buncrana
Community Library on Saturday, 10th November, from
10am - 12pm (for Children) and from 12.15pm - 2.15pm
(for Adults). |
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