Dreamers. Soldiers are citizens of death’s grey land, Drawing no dividend from time’s to-morrows. In the great hour of destiny they stand, Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows. Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives. Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives. I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain, Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats, And mocked by hopeless longing to regain Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats, And going to the office in the train.
Extract from the poem “Aftermath” by Siegfried Sassoon.
“Do you remember the dark months you held the sector at Mametz. The nights you watched and wired and dug and piled sandbags on parapets? Do you remember the rats; and the stench, Of corpses rotting in front of the front-line trench, And dawn coming, dirty-white, and chill with a hopeless rain? Do you ever stop and ask, ‘Is it all going to happen again? Have you forgotten yet? Look up, and swear by the green of the spring that you’ll never forget.“
The Irish General Election will take place on November 29th 2024. This week local people on social media were extremely reticent about the direction in which Thurles town was heading, describing same as “A dead horse town”, and “A sh#t hole with nothing in it”. Despite 90% of second level students educated in the town, moving on into third level education and following diploma courses, some people saw the idea of a proposed Drive-Thru McDonald’s as “giving huge employment” and putting Thurles “back on the map”.
(This upcoming General Election will now give these same commentators an opportunity to vote. But most likely they will once again vote for the same ineffectual lunatics to take over this picturesque rural Tipperary asylum, for yet another 4 years. Even worse, they will protest, voting for persons who were once members of, or, at the very least, known associates of proscribed organisations.)
But perhaps the social media comment, which I felt had the most ring of truth, read as follows, “There’s nothing left in the town”. (Thurles).
With tomorrow being Remembrance Sunday (Sun November 10th 2024), a day on which we commemorate the anniversary of the end of hostilities in World War I (1918) and commemorate the contribution made by Irish soldiers in that war; allow me to elucidate further. On April 16th, 2020, we wrote about Thurles born Cpl. John Cunningham VC (Victoria Cross), under the heading “Lest Thurles Forgets Cpl. John Cunningham VC”. Please FirstRead the Post in full Here.
Missing – The Cpl. John Cunningham Plaque. Pic: G. Willoughby.
Following from that, we were contacted very recently (October 27th, 2024) by a family descendant of Cpl. John; namely Ms Susannah Cunningham, who kindly brought us up to date, as to the whereabouts of his missing Victoria Cross.
Ms Cunningham wrote; “The Victoria Cross medal is now in the Imperial War Museum in London, in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery. Lord Ashcroft collected Victoria and George Crosses and paid for the dedicated museum within a museum. The medal was on loan, but I noticed it had been bought by Lord Ashcroft recently. It is an excellent display and in a place that it will be appreciated, as is his grave in France, which is well attended, but a shame the medal is both out of Ireland and has been sold. I don’t know what happened to John’s service medals or Patrick’s WWI medals. My father-in-law, Freddie Cunningham, is John’s nephew, via his younger brother Joseph.”
As Thurles residents will be well aware, a plaque commemorating Cpl. John Cunningham VC; positioned at were his family home once existed, [at the junction of Sarsfield Street and Stradavoher (R659)], was erected, at considerable expense, many years ago, by the then existing North Tipperary Council, with the necessary permissions granted by the property owner. Some 18 months or so ago, it was deliberately demolished by a jack hammer, without, as far as I am aware, any public consultation or debate. Its absence went unnoticed by the powers that be, latter who currently rule over us. (See Photograph above.) Following enquiries made, I am now promptly informed by Ms Sharon Scully, (Administrator Thurles Municipal District Council) that, quote “I can confirm that Tipperary County Council were not involved in the removal of the Cunningham Plaque”.
This being the accepted case, (which I believe); I would like to know where the removed plaque can be currently located, so that same can be re-erected at an alternative location nearby, which does not cause either interference or disorderliness.
I now also hope, nay, expect, that Thurles Municipal District Council officials and recently elected councillors, will follow up on finding and re-locating same.
The great Leitrim native Seamus O’Rourke, writer, director, actor, poet and independent producer (Big Guerilla Productions) takes us back to 1922.
The year 1922 in Ireland marked the beginning of the final phase in Ireland’s revolution. It saw the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty; the establishment of the Irish Free State; the outbreak of the civil war; and the consolidation of partition as Northern Ireland opted out of the Free State settlement.
Songwriters: American contemporary Christian Music-folk singer and songwriter, Ellie Holcomb(Elizabeth Asher Holcomb) and American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter, Lauren Ashley Daigle. Vocals: American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter, Lauren Daigle.
Be Okay.
You’re gonna be okay. You’re, you’re gonna be okay. Oh, the sun will keep on risin’ in that old familiar way, And every little thing is gonna be okay. You’re gonna be alright, Darling, you’re, you’re gonna be alright, ‘Cause the stars will keep on shinin’ through the darkest night, And you can know you’re gonna be alright. Lift your eyes to the hills, Remember where your help comes from. Lift your eyes to the hills, You’ll never face a valley alone. ‘Cause even when your heart is breakin’, And you’ve gone and lost your way, Oh Lord you’re, you’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay. I know that you’re, you’re gonna be okay. Not a care in this whole world that can take that truth away, You’re, you’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be alright, My darlin’, you’re, you’re gonna be alright, At the end of all our breath, when we’re beckoned on to the light, Love’ll meet you there, you’re gonna be alright. Oh, the end of all our breath is the beginning of new life, Lord, you’re gonna be alright.
Lyrics: Journalist, writer, songwriter, and spy-catcher (Spy identified Kim Philby), the late Jack Fishman(a.k.a. Larry Khan), 1920 – 1997. Vocals: Welsh singer Tom Jones(Thomas John Woodward).
Help Yourself.
Love is like candy on a shelf, You want to taste, then help yourself. The sweetest things are there for you Help yourself take a few, That’s what I want you to do. We’re always told repeatedly, The very best in life is free, And if you want to prove it’s true, Baby, I’m telling you, This is what you should do. Just help yourself to my lips, to my arms, Just say the word and they’re yours. Just help yourself to the love in my heart, Your smile has opened up the door. The greatest wealth that exists in the world, Could never buy what I can give. Just help yourself to my lips, to my arms, And then let’s really start to live. Alright, (hahahaha, yeah). My heart has love enough for two, More than enough for me and you. I’m rich with love, a millionaire, I’ve so much, it’s unfair, Why don’t you take a share. Just help yourself to my lips, to my arms, Just say the word and they’re yours. Just help yourself to the love in my heart, Your smile has opened up the door. The greatest wealth that exists in the world, Could never buy what I can give. So help yourself to my lips, to my arms, And then let’s really start to live. Just help yourself to my lips, to my arms, Just say the word and they’re yours. Just help yourself to the love in my heart.
Recent Comments