On Saturday night, 11th November, exactly 88 years after the cessation of hostilities, the new Ballina library was the venue for the launch by Austin Vaughan, Mayo Co. Librarian, of a new book, Mayo Comrades of The Great War, 1914-1919, which was compiled and written by Ballinaman, P.J. Clarke and Castlebarman, Michael Feeney. The publication chronicles the stories of many hundreds of Mayomen, from all parts of the county, and from all social and religious backgrounds, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the bloody carnage of World War 1. The authors have also rightly remembered the hundreds of survivors who came home from battle horribly scarred in mind and body to live out the remainder of their lives in pain and torment.
The book, which can only be described as monumental, is one that needed to be written in order to return to many families proud memories of their heroic dead relatives. Well presented, this book is very readable; the names and details of those killed in action are set out in alphabetical order and there are several interesting and sometimes amazing contributed articles. There are many photos of the dead soldiers, some of them very young, which adds to the poignancy of their stories.
P.J. Clarke and Michael Feeney are to be congratulated on their magnificent service to the written history of Co. Mayo and for reviving memories of an era which has been largely airbrushed out of existence. Whatever our political stance on the issue, the heroism of the dead and injured cannot be denied; in this great book they are respectfully remembered.
The new book had its Castlebar launch performed by Cllr. Brendan Heneghan, Mayor of Castlebar, in the library on the Mall on Friday,November 17th at 7.30 p.m. There was a large attendance and compliments were paid to the authors for their attention to detail and the extraordinary amount of work that went into the preparation of the volume.
For further information regarding the book, e-mail
pjmclarkw2004@yahoo.com or
Telephone P.J. Clarke 087 050 5372
michaelnfeeney@eircom.net or
Telephone Michael Feeney.087 934 8984
L-R. P.J.Clarke, Austin Vaughan, Michael Feeney.
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