'It's our history' - Calls for new memorial honouring hunger strikers to be erected in Dundalk
The motion was tabled by Sinn Féin councillor Kevin Meenan.
Calls have been made for a new memorial dedicated to hunger strikers to be erected in Dundalk.
The motion was tabled by Sinn Féin councillor Kevin Meenan at the June meeting of the Dundalk Municipal District.
Cllr Meenan called for a new monument to honour the hunger strikers who died between 1917 and 1981 “in the pursuit of Irish Freedom”.
The motion received cross-party support from his fellow councillors.
Fine Gael councillor Robert Nash said “if we are really serious about the reunification of our country then this memorial shouldn’t be an issue”.
“It’s our history, we should be proud of our history and we should respect people’s history on both sides.”
“It’s history, it’s in the past, we should be moving on as a country,” he said.
Green Party councillor Marianne Butler said the hunger strikes are still in people’s living memories.
“As the hunger strikers started to die there was a huge reaction in Dundalk. It’s part of our history and it’s to get people talking about it,” she said.
Fellow Sinn Féín councillor Antóin Watters praised the work of his party colleague Cllr Meenan who he said has been working towards the monument since 2001.
“It’s about remembering what happened to get to where we are now.”
“Seeing the finished product would be very, very impressive and it would be another attraction in our town. This would bring people from all over the world,” he said.
Thomas McEvoy, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Services, Economic Delivery for Louth County Council said the local authority will work with councillors towards the erection of a monument.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.