Rosemary Yore of the Ledwidge Cottage Museum in Slane.

Slane remembers its Great War dead at Ledwidge cottage

Can you imagine the devastation in any small village community if 12 twelve young men died violent deaths in a short four year period? That is what happened to Slane during World War I and to towns, villages and communities around the country. The Ledwidge Museum Committee is aware of 12 local men who died in the Great War, as it was known, but are quick to point out that there may have been many more, they just haven't been able to get information on any of the others. Francis Ledwidge was of course, the most famous of the Slane casualties and it is at his home at Janeville, that Slane's First World War casualties are being remembered with a special exhibition this month. 'Their Story - The Irish in World War One' features magnificent display panels and genuine artifacts and memorabilia from World War I and runs until the end of August. It also features what information is available on the 12 local men known to have died in the war. Colm Yore and colleagues from the Ledwidge Museum Committee put in a lot of work researching the Slane's involvement in the war, but Colm points out that there may have been many more casualties. Using information gleaned from the Comonwealth War Graves Commission and other sources, they identified 11 soldiers from Slane who had died in the war. They then researched these men - the work included checking census records- to find as much information as they could. "We got more information on some than others," he said. They also discovered that there may well be many more Slane war dead. Local man, Frankie Lynagh, contacted the group when he discovered his relative, Patrick Lynagh, hadn't been included in the exhibition. Patrick Lynagh from Harlonstown, a stoker on HMS Vanguard and a member of the Royal Navan Reserve in Portsmouth was killed on 9th July 1917. His details are now featured in the exhibition. "We have also since discovered a Thomas Southwell of Barristown, who is buried on the Hill of Slane also died in the war," Colm says. Others among the dead were Edward Nulty, who may have worked with Ledwidge in the copper mines in Beauparc, before going to war. His mother and father were musicians and his mother was a music teacher. He was a Royal Dublin Fusilier and was killed at the Somme. Rifleman, Larry Carolan, a member of the Royal Irish Rifles, died on 27th October 1914, while Michael Murphy of the Irish Guards died on 25th September 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. Sgt Major Francis Farrell of the Royal Irish Regiment was just 23 when he died on 21st March 1918. He was a son of James and Christina Farrell. A man called John Vaughey of the Leinster Regiment died on 27th March 1918. It is not known if he was a relative of Ledwidge's sweetheart, Ellie Vaughey, as there were at least four families of Vaughey in Slane at the time. Sgt James Lane, who won a military medal, was 32 when he died on 19th September 1918. He was a member of the 7th Battallion of the Royal Irish Regiment. He was the son of John and Mary Lane and left behind his wife, Mrs E Lane at Mooretown, Slane. Michael Flood was just 18 years old when he died on 16th August 1917. A member of the Royal Irish Rifles, he was the son of Thomas and Ellen Flood. It is not known if Patrick Flood, a son of Patrick and Mary Flood was any relative of Michael. Patrick was 40 years old when he died on 6th April 1918. He was a tunneller and bridge builder with the Royal Engineers. Gunner James McConnon, a member of the Royal Field Artillery, was fighting against the Turks in Mesopotania and died at the age of 26 on 3rd September 1916. He is buried in Baghdad. He was the son of Terence and Mary Anne McConnon and his sister and parents are buried on the Hill of Slane. William McConnon (it is not known if he was related to James) died on the same day as Francis Ledwidge on 31st July 1917. He was a member of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Francis Ledwidge, a son of Patrick and Anne Ledwidge, was just 29 when he was killed at Boezing, Belgium. He was a member of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The exhibition, which is running at the Ledwidge Cottage Museum examines some of the motivation that caused men to enlist and looks at their subsequent training, leading to the Battle of the Somme. It also looks at the reception that many of these men received when they arrived home as well as the manner in which their efforts have been remembered. Postcards from the front have been provided by Marie Meade, whose father Thomas Gow fought with the Royal Field Artillery and was lucky to have returned to Slane at the end of the war. He was originally from Scotland and had worked at Slane Castle. Other artefacts in the exhibition include a Lee Enfield rife, a Vickers machine gun and other weapons, as well as British and German uniforms. 'Pig tails', which were used for erecting barbed wire are also included in the exhibition. Colm Yore explains that these metal corkscrew-like implements could be quickly screwed into the ground without the noise of hammering, which had alerted the enemy when they had been using wooden posts. "The British had curls on the top of theirs and the Germans had spikes, but they were all made by the same company in Sweden," he said. Many of the artefact are on loan from the County Museum in Dundalk and William Sullivan and the Francis Ledwidge Museum Committee would like to thank them for their assistance. Rosemary Yore of the committee says that there has been good interest in the exhibition and a lot of people from Northern Ireland have been to see it. "Many of them don't realise how many southerners fought in the war," she said. The Ledwidge Cottage Committee was set up in 1980 with a view to buying the cottage where the poet was born and the deal was closed in 1981. They have since purchased the adjoining house and Rosemary explains that they intend to house the various artefacts, writing and memorabilia of the museum in the adjacent house and hope to restore the Ledwidge cottage to the way it was when the poet lived there. However, this depends on funding and she explains that the committee get no funding from any source except fund raising and from Fás who provide guides. "Within Fás we wouldn't survive," she said. They are currently hoping to carry out a feasibility study on how to proceed, but in the meantime, 'Their Story - The Irish in World War One' is expected to create a lot of interest in the museum this summer.