Many communities across the country will be actively preparing for the centenary commemorations of events, which happened during the War of Independence.

  During this commemorative phase, long ago battles, raids and skirmishes will be recalled. Plaques and information signs erected telling the stories from 100 years ago, many of which we have featured on the blog since last October. However, commemoration is selective and many events will undoubtedly go unrecorded. Ones wonders how many stories such as the death of young Michael Walsh, aged 13 ½ years old, at Cappoquin, county Waterford will go untold. A native of Lismore and son of a hairdresser, Walsh was in Cappoquin as the local elections results were celebrated. A large crowd had gathered and tar barrels were lit before a military lorry drove at the crowd, killing Walsh in the process. According to newspaper accounts the young boy ‘was afforded a magnificent funeral’ and the volunteers of Lismore, Ballyduff, Modellys, Cappoquin and the surrounding districts attended. The jury at the inquest recommended that the boys parents should seek compensation from the military as the act appeared to have been deliberate. It was a sad occasion for all in Waterford and worth remembering that many innocent lives were lost during the conflict.  

Source:  See also Irish Examiner 1841-current, Monday, June 07, 1920; Page: 8; see also The Freemans Journal 1763-1924, Thursday, June 10, 1920; Page: 4

Irish_Examiner_07june1920page8   Freemans_Journal_11June1920_pg4