Butte Mine Disaster hero to be honoured by diaspora group

SPECIAL GUEST Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois, will be a special guest at the Mayo Cherishing the Diaspora awards night in Newport on September 22.

Michael Commins

MAYO native Michael Conroy, who lost his life in a brave effort to  save the lives of almost 170 miners trapped underground in what became known as the Butte Speculator Granite Mine Disaster on June 9, 1917, will be honoured posthumously with a Bravery Award at the Mayo Peace Park, Castlebar, on Monday morning, September 18, at 11am.
The event is to take place as part of a full week of events organised by the Mayo Cherishing the Diaspora Group, who are bringing 50 emigrants back to Mayo for a week’s holiday from September 16 to 23.
Michael Conroy, who hailed from Mace, Barnacarroll, Claremorris, was remembered in a special way in his home parish back in June when a special Mass and ceremony was held in Barnacarroll Church to mark the centenary of that fateful night in Montana. Family relatives and neighbours gathered for the ceremony and a small plaque to commemorate the event was later erected just inside the wall of Barnacarroll cemetery.
The Mayo Cherishing the Irish Diaspora later contacted Antoinette Keane (Conroy) and Jarlath Sweeney with a view to honouring Michael Conroy in his native Mayo. They will participate in the wreath laying ceremony in Castlebar on September 18. Members of Michael Conroy’s family around Ireland and from England will also attend.
The Mayo Cherishing the Irish Diaspora was established in 1999 and is actively involved in funding and hosting holidays in Mayo for the needy and vulnerable Irish emigrants from the UK each September.

Accolades
The group also honour members and friends of Ireland and these accolades are presented during the week-long programme of events in September. Among the other recipients for 2017 are Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois, USA, who will be special guest at the awards night which takes place in Hotel Newport on Friday night, September 22; St Lawrence’s GAA Club, Manchester; Frank Wilkinson, Manchester and Ballindine (Posthumous Award); Gerry Flynn (Enjoy Travel), Blackburn; and Msgr John Delaney, Florida, USA.
Professor Sir Patrick Duffy and Michael Feeney MBE, together with members of the Mayo Peace Park Committee will also be in attendance at the wreath-laying ceremony in Castlebar.

Emigrant visitors
Eight houses have been booked in Lough Lannagh Village, Castlegar, for those travelling to Mayo this year, with people attending from the Monica’s Houses for the Homeless in Birmingham; the Simon Community in London; the Irish Community Care Centre, Merseyside and the Irish Community Care, Manchester.
A full week long list of activities has been put in the place by the Cherishing the Irish Diaspora committee. Over 1,000 emigrants have participated in these group holidays since they began in 1999 and the committee of Kevin Bourke, Marianne Staunton and Tommy Joe Duffy are very much looking forward to welcoming this year’s group on September 16.
The week’s activities will begin with Mass in Tourmakeady on Sunday morning, September 17, and that night there will be an Irish Night in O’Reillys Lounge in Ballyvary.
On Monday, after the Wreath Laying ceremony at the Peace Park in Castlebar, the group will attend a reception in Cushlough Community Centre, while on Tuesday, the group will visit the Foxford Woollen Mills and the Fr Peyton Centre in Attymass.
On Wednesday, a visit to Knock Shrine is planned before a star-studded concert will take place in Westport Town Hall from 8pm with the likes of Frank McCaffrey, Tomas Langan and Joe Deery taking to the stage to entertain the visitors. (Contact 098 28459 for tickets, priced at €15 and €12).  The busy week continues on Thursday with a visit to Kylemore Abbey and Cong and then on Friday the group will visit Croagh Patrick before heading to the awards night in Hotel Newport. For more information on the week, contact Tommy on 087 1242717 or Kevin on 087 2439748.