‘The people of Mayo were never slow to stir’ - President

President Michael D Higgins is pictured at the Westport 1916 Centenary Commemorations, with the monument to Major John MacBride in the background. Pic:Michael McLaughlin

Westport 1916 centenary commemoration event a huge success

Edwin McGreal

Sacrifices made by people like Westport native Major John MacBride and 31 men arrested in Westport in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising helped to pave the way for a free and independent Ireland.
Those were the words of President of Ireland Michael D Higgins who led the 1916 Centenary Commemorations in Westport on Sunday.
Speaking to a crowd estimated to be in excess of 1,500 people on a sun-soaked South Mall, President Higgins spoke passionately about the legacy the men of 1916 left.
“The plaque that we are unveiling this afternoon will stand as an important and enduring reminder of the struggle and sacrifices made by the people of Westport so that we, today, could live in a free and independent Ireland and one that they will be proud of in the generations to come,” said President Higgins.
Sunday’s commemorations included the unveiling of a plaque at the MacBride 1916 Memorial on the South Mall to honour 31 local Irish Volunteers arrested in Westport after the Easter Rising of 1916, the commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the execution of Major John MacBride and the naming of the James Street bridge as the Doris Brothers Bridge.
President Higgins went on to say that, historically, Mayo was ‘never slow to stir’ when it came to standing up to authority going back to the days of Michael Davitt and the Land League and including a march by local Irish Volunteers after the Easter Rising, which led to the interment of 31 of them 100 years ago.
“Mayo is famous for its sense of agitation, its great public meetings. We should never forget those people in Mayo who went before us … The fact of the matter is that after the external landlords were gone, new, native breeds emerged and the tenants still suffered. The people of Mayo were never slow to stir and we’re here today to celebrate that sense of coming together in public to defend what is principled,” added President Higgins.
He also spoke effusively about the career of Major John MacBride, the native of Westport Quay who was one of the 16 Rising leaders executed by the British, harking back to his prominent role leading an Irish Brigade against the British in the Boer War in South Africa.
He cited former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki who described MacBride as ‘a principled figure, a man whose stance against British imperialism had been a source of inspiration for the African National Congress (ANC)’ at an ‘After Empire’ symposium in UCD last February.
Harry Hughes, Master of Ceremonies on the day, introduced various speakers and welcomed, among others, Castlebar native Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces. Members of Mayo County Council’s executive and several councillors were in attendance, along with DΡil Deputies Michael Ring and Lisa Chambers.

Doris Brothers Bridge
The first event was the official naming of the James Street bridge as the Doris Brothers Bridge.
William and PJ Doris from James Street, Westport founded The Mayo News in 1892. Both brothers campaigned for tenants’ rights and the freedom of Ireland.
William Doris was imprisoned in 1881 for his Land League activities. He was later elected an  MP. PJ Doris was one of the 31 men interned from Westport in 1916.
The brothers became estranged over differing views on Irish nationalism.
Managing Editor of The Mayo News Neill O’Neill spoke in tribute of the Doris brothers before the bridge was officially named after them.
“Today, almost a century and a quarter after they founded The Mayo News, we have gathered to make a small gesture to these two local pioneers of our town and our Republic. It is fitting that the bridge on James Street should be named in honour of William and PJ Doris, a bridge they used daily, on a street where their lives’ work was created and where much of the events of their lives took place.
“Westport Historical Society should be commended for their foresight on this initiative, and we in The Mayo News of today, as custodians of their legacy, are proud to be associated with this tribute to our founding fathers,” he stated.
A plaque at the bridge was officially unveiled by Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Holmes.
Later, wreaths were laid at the MacBride 1916 Memorial by Minister of State Michael Ring, whose grand-uncle Michael Joseph Ring was one of the Westport 31; by John Mayock, Chairman of the Westport Historical Society; Darragh White, a great-grandson of Major John MacBride; Monsignor Martin Geraghty, a son of Martin Geraghty, one of the 31 arrested; and Cllr Michael Holmes, on behalf of Mayo County Council.
Local clubs and organisations also laid wreaths while 31 schoolchildren from three local national schools laid 31 flowers. Placards with the names and ages of each of the 31 detainees were held up by children from Gaelscoil Na Cruaiche, while their names were read out by students from Rice College and the Sacred Heart School in Westport, who are related to some of the men.
A flower was also laid in memory of 12-year-old Óisin Kennedy, who was laid to rest last week in Westport. His great, great grandfather Edward Sammon was one of the Westport 31.
Mary MacBride-Walsh, a grandniece of Major John MacBride and a granddaughter of Joseph MacBride, one of the Westport 31, read the 1916 Proclamation.
Vincent Keane of the Westport Historical Society delivered an address on the story of the Westport 31.
The Westport Town Band and the Clew Bay Pipe Band both performed at the event as did a trio from the defence forces, who played the Presidential Salute and also performed during the flag raising ceremony.

Gesture
James Kelly, of the Westport Historical Society, whom Harry Hughes credited with conducting ‘an immense amount of research’ on the Westport 31, presented President Higgins with a copy of the Centenary Edition of Westport Historical Society’s Cathair na Mart journal, with a copy of a book about Charles Hughes, one of the 31, and a copy of last week’s Mayo News special 1916 centenary supplement. The President also received a striking photograph of the oratory on Croagh Patrick covered in icy snow with a dog in the foreground. The photograph, which adorns the walls of many Westport hostelries, was taken by Garda Tony McCabe, who stood proudly on duty beside the stage as the presentation was made.
Following the formalities, President Higgins and his wife Sabina mingled with those in attendance as they walked towards their car to be escorted to Hotel Westport where, many of the relatives of the 31 detainees were in attendance for refreshments. There was ample time for photographs with many well-wishers in Hotel Westport, where the President spoke to relatives of those who had played a part in the events of 100 years ago.
Following a private dinner, the President and his group visited the Custom House Studios at Westport Quay where an exhibition on Major John MacBride is on display. The Presidential party also stopped to inspect the other exhibition currently being hosted in the gallery, ‘Out on a Western Plain’ by photographer Michael McLaughlin, before departing for Áras an UachtarΡin in Dublin.