Restoration of Memorial to Forgotten Celbridge Figure – Sir Gerald Dease
We have spoken about Sir Gerald Richard Dease K.C.V.O. previously and his memorial outside St. Patrick’s Church, Celbridge. He is all but forgotten in Celbridge; the Celtic Cross is commonly mistaken for a marker to a priest. The cross in many ways highlights how quickly history can fade with time. With the help of Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Celbridge Parish Office we have begun a restoration and conservation project on the Dease memorial cross. The works are being carried out by Bracken Monuments.
Born on 7 July 1831 Dease was a prominent person in the late 19th century in Ireland. He was Justice of the Peace for Counties Kildare and Meath, a Director of the Great Southern & Western Railway and appointed a Director of the Bank of Ireland (the predecessor to the Central Bank) and its Governor between 1890 and 1892. On 27 July 1881, Dease was appointed Major and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Battalion, Princess Victoria’s (Royal Irish Fusiliers). He also served as the Chamberlain to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and was involved in the organisation of several royal visits to Ireland. For his excellent service he was Knighted in 1897, being made a Companion of the Royal Victorian Order in 1900 and a Knight Grand Cross of the same order on 11 August 1903. Locally Sir Gerald Dease served on Kildare County Council on several occasions and served as Chairman of the Celbridge Board of Guardians [the Workhouse] (today Colourtrend paint factory) and within both bodies he became an advocate for improved conditions for the poor. He lobbied extensively for the creation of a National University to which Catholics would have full access. It is for these efforts he was most remembered.
Following his death on 18 October 1903, the people of Celbridge raised the funds and erected the Celtic Cross memorial in recognition of this remarkable man. Soon when people walk by they will clearly see the name Sir Gerald Richard Dease K.C.V.O. There is still a little more to do on the restoration. We will keep you posted.
Thank you to Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Celbridge Parish Office for their support.
Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ
Cover image: Members of Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ, at Gormanstown Military Camp.
Kildare has a long military history and to this day people from the county continue to serve or have served all over the world. Due to the Curragh Camp and Defence Forces Headquarters, Kildare has a large number of serving and former members of the Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann. Prior to the pandemic we began an oral history project aimed at capturing the testimonies of military veterans and ex-service personnel from County Kildare. Each of these recordings is a window into Kildare’s past. Memories of a Curagh Camp tell of a military base that resembled a small town with its own cinema, while others recollect the artillery barracks in Kildare town and the Apprentice School in Naas now closed over two decades. Thousands from the county have served around the world on United Nations peacekeeping missions; from the early deployments to the Congo to as recently as Mali. Many of those who serve go on to join the charities The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel and The Irish United Nations Veterans Association; both of whom have reached out across their membership and network to find those willing to tell their story.
Often overlooked are the memories of the part-time volunteers who served locally as members of the Local Defence Force during the Emergency, or in later Cold War decades in An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ), the Red Cross or Civil Defence. During these uncertain periods every town, village and area in Ireland had such units with locally trained members. Their story is as important as their full-time counterparts. It is part of our local and national heritage. Many of these stories have been lost over time, but there are still many out there who remember the old units, the buildings they trained in and the exercises they took part in. In this recording Tony Maher reflects on his time as a reserve Corporal with Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ, Irish Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann.
Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ
Today, Tony lives in Celbridge, County Kildare. He is well known for his community work in the area and anyone involved in the sprot of canoeing would know him very well, during the 1960s Tony was a member of Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ. During the Emergency period (1939 – 1946) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991) Ireland remained neutral, however, the threat was still real. During these two periods the reserve elements of the Irish Defence Forces were greatly expanded. Nearly every village in the country had a platoon size or more of reservists stationed there. North Kildare was no different. During the Emergency the North Dublin Battalion of the Local Defence Forces had a Company in North Kildare, with a platoon in Celbridge, Maynooth, and Kilcock. Following the Emergency and the establishment of Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ), this transitioned to the North Dublin Battalion FCÁ and in 1959, C Company 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ.
At the time Tony lived in Lexlip and recollects some amazing stories of Lexlip and the surrounding areas in the 1950s and 1960s. Tony grew up not far from where Sergeant Hugh Gaynor lived and had very fond memories of him. Sadly, Sergeant Gaynor was one of the nine Irish peacekeepers killed in the Niamba ambush in the Belgium Congo on 8 November 1960. It was Sergeant Gaynor and the service of Irish peacekeepers that inspired Tony to enlist. The reservists met several evenings during the week and at the weekends. The headquarters for the C Company platoons were as follows: the Methodist Church (now Cunninghams Funeral Directors), Celbridge; the town hall in Maynooth; and the old church off the centre in Kilcock. Life in the reserve infantry back then was defined by marching and the .303″ Lee-Enfield rifle, which Tony remembers like it was yesterday. He proudly still has his rifle competition trophies. Drill, local exercises, training in Gormanstown and the Glen of Imaal, St. Patrick’s Day Parades, and 1916 commemorations were the annual routine.
Tony Maher in German uniform while filming the Blue Max.
Thankfully Tony was an avid photographer and he has kept a remarkable collection of the reservists in North Kildare. It wasn’t all drill and more drill. During this time the FCÁ got called upon to provide extras for the movie the Blue Max; directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, and Jeremy Kemp. During 1965 Tony found himself in a German World War I uniform and charging across no-man’s land in the Wicklow mountains. Tony managed to smuggle his camera on set.
The history of many of these reserve units has been lost. We are trying to build up the history of the reserve in Kildare and would like to talk to former members. Please get in contact if you would like your story recorded.
This project is supported by Kildare County Council and Creative Ireland.
Cathal Berry TD, Commandant Rtd, Irish Army 1995–2019
Taking part in our Kildare’s Veterans’ and Ex-Service Personnel oral history project is Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces veteran Dr Cathal Berry T.D. in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Cathal is an Independent TD for the constituency of Kildare South. Cathal is a father, husband, doctor, veteran and is a resident of Portarlington, Co. Laois. He is married to Orla and is the proud father of their young children Tom and Katie.
Prior to becoming a TD, Cathal spent 23 years in the Irish Defence Forces. He entered military service with the Cadet School, Military College, Curragh Camp in 1995. After a tough 21 months training he was commissioned into the Infantry Corps. During his time in the Defence Forces, he spent six years in the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) and served overseas in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. In 2008, Cathal led an ARW unit in Chad. He later took a self-funded career break to qualify as a medical doctor in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland He subsequently worked in the HSE Ireland hospital emergency departments all over the country and then returned to the Defence Forces where he was appointed head of the Military Medical School in the Curragh, Co. Kildare. He retired from service at the rank of Commandant.
This project is supported by Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.
Around Ireland today communities gathered for Remembrance Sunday, to reflect and commemorate those from their area that served and lost their lives during the Great War 1914 – 1918. Today we attended the annual service at Old St. Michael’s Cemetery, Athy, County Kildare. During the Great War some 2,000 men and women from the town and surrounding area served; of these at least 290 lost their lives. Incredible considering the small size of the population at the time. One of those who served was Major John Vincent Holland VC. Their service, and Athy’s role during that period, are remembered in the Shackleton Museum. The work on Athy’s Great War service continues, with historians Clem Roche and Frank Taaffe endeavouring to ensure all those who served or lost their lives are remembered.
Thank you to Kildare County Council Heritage Office for their support.
Photo: a lonely Commonwealth War Grave Commission Headstone in Tay Lane Cemetery, Celbridge, Co. Kildare
Walking through cemeteries you may have wondered why graves of servicemen dated 1919, 1920 and 1921 have a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. This is due to a sometimes-forgotten fact, today 31 August, marks the official end of the Great War.
Although guns fell silent with the signing of the armistice on 11 November 1918, treaties had to be signed and the war had to be officially ended. For example, the Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Different treaties were signed with other powers. To officially end the war the British Parliament passed The Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act 1918 which allowed the government to determine the official ending of the war between the British Empire and the Central Powers. Officially the war ended between the British Empire and Germany on 10 January 1920; Austria on 16 July 1920; Bulgaria on 9 August 1920; Hungary on 26 July 1921; and Turkey on 6 August 1924. It was declared for all other purposes, the Great War to have officially ended on 31 August 1921.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter on 21 May 1917. They commemorate those who died as a result of their service up until the official end of the war on 31 August 1921. That includes those who died in service and those who died after they were discharged.
Two such examples include:
Air Mechanic 2nd Class, Charles Sheridan, Royal Air Force. Died on 16 August 1921. Buried in Tay Lane Cemetery, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, and Sapper J. Cash, Royal Engineers. Died 21 February 1919. Buried in Deans Grange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
Air Mechanic 2nd Class, Charles Sheridan, Royal Air Force. Died on 16 August 1921. Buried in Tay Lane Cemetery, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. (Photo by Wesley Bourke)
Sapper J. Cash, Royal Engineers. Died 21 February 1919. Buried in Deans Grange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. (Photo by Peter Molloy)
Ireland’s Military Story and The Irish Military Heritage Foundation send our best wishes to World War 2 veteran Joe Woods for a very happy 100th birthday today. Joe served with the Royal Air Force Regiment 1941 – 1946 and took part in the Liberation of Denmark. In 1995, Joe and his late wife Josephine, were invited to Denmark and he was presented with The Danish Liberation Silver Medal by a member of the Danish Royal family in recognition of his war service to Denmark. He is originally from Barlborough in Derbyshire but moved to Newbridge, Co Kildare.
He is well known in the Whitewater Shopping Centre and is regularly spotted around the town on his scooter he calls his ‘Spitfire’. Joe will be interviewed by Clem Ryan on Kfm Radio Kildare at 10:45am this morning.Joe was on our list to interview last year as part of our Kildare Veterans’ Story, but due to Covid-19 restrictions this could not happen. Hopefully we will meet Joe later this year.
Joe certainly lives up to the Royal Air Force Regiment motto:Per Ardua ad Astra “Through Adversity to the Stars”
Joe is pictured here at the Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony 2019 at the Irish War Memorial Gardens Islandbridge, with the then British Ambassador Mr. Robin Barnett CMG British Embassy Dublin and standard bearers of the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland.
Photo courtesy of Joe’s good friend Tony O’Connor.
Interview with Sergeant Sharon McNamara and Sergeant Major Billy Redmond
On Friday 7 August we met up with two retired Kildare veterans to record their stories: Sergeant Sharon McNamara and Sergeant Major Billy Redmond. Sharon comes from a long line of military service with grandfathers on both sides serving in the early days of Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces. Growing up on the Curragh, joining the Amy was a natural progression. In 1981, a decision was made to recruit women under general enlistment. Along with forty other young ladies, Sharon found herself part of the Defence Forces first all-female recruit platoon. As this was a new chapter in the history of the Defence Forces Sharon had some enlightening stories to tell. At that time women could not serve in combat units. Even guard duties were off the list. This did not take long to change as Sharon explained: ‘in many ways we pioneered the way for those that came after us’. Sharon primarily served in the Administration School and the Curragh Command Headquarters. Retiring after 21 years’ service, Sharon now works for The Kerry Group in Naas.
Sergeant Sharon McNamara about life in the Defence Forces with the first all female platoon in 1981. (Photograph by John O’Byrne)
Sergeant Major Redmond is a well-known veteran from Kilcullen, who regularly writes and gives talks on his 45 years’ service in the Defence Forces. Billy joined in the late 1950s and served with the Signal and CIS Corps. Billy spent ten years on missions with the United Nations Peacekeeping, three tours in the Congo, two in Cyprus, and nine in South Lebanon. Billy’s first overseas tour was to the Congo with the 32nd Infantry Battalion and was able to give us insight how signallers operated in those harsh conditions. No smart phones back then, it was old style Morse Code. Impressively Billy can still tap out 22 words a minute.
Thank you to Jim Brady from ONE Ireland in Kildare for arranging the interviewees and to NC & JO’B Photography Studio & Gallery in Rathangan for the use of their facilities and support. Covid 19 safety precautions were observed during our interviews.
Sergeant Major Billy Redmond describing the situation in the Congo in the early 1960s. (Photograph by John O’Byrne)
This project is sponsored by County Kildare Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.
Celbridge’s Victoria Cross – Lieutenant Colonel John Augustus Conolly
Project: Celbridge’s Military Story
It as a real honour today to visit the graveside of Celbridge’s own Victoria Cross recipient at Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin: Lieutenant Colonel John Augustus Conolly. Growing up in Celbridge I knew nothing of this man or his service. We hope by recording his story it will forever be a part of Celbridge.
John Augustus Conolly circa 1850s. (Courtesy of the Guards Museum)
John Augustus Conolly was born on 30 May 1829 in Castletown, Celbridge, to Edward Michael Conolly MP and Catherine Jane, daughter of Chambre Brabazon Ponsonby-Barker.
John enlisted in the 49th Regiment of Foot (later the Royal Berkshire Regiment, today The Rifles) and served in the Eastern Campaign/Crimean War of 1854. He was present at the Battles of Alma and the Siege of Sebastopol. On 26 October 1854 he was shot through the chest and seriously wounded after a Russian attack at Shell Hill. The Russian attack was repulsed by heavy fire from Allied guns, and infantry led by Lieutenant Conolly. Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood VC later wrote that the Russians: ‘fell back and our infantry pursued them, being led most gallantly by Lieutenant Conolly’.
For this gallantry, Conolly was awarded the Victoria Cross (gazetted 5 May 1857) and promoted into the Coldstream Guards. At Hyde Park on 26 June 1857 Queen Victoria awarded the first Victoria Cross’s to 62 officers and men; one of these gallant heroes was a Celbridge man, then Brevet-Major John Augustus Conolly.
He later married on 4 August 1864 to Ida Charlotte Burnaby from Baggrave Hall, Leicestershire. She died in 1886. They had 5 children: John Richard Arthur, Alice Geta Katherine, Conagh Edwina, Louisa Augusta and Irene Beatrice.
John Conolly was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and retired from the Army in 1863. He became a Sub-Commissioner in the Dublin Metropolitan Police, and later Resident Magistrate for the Curragh of Kildare. He died on 23 December 1888 in the Curragh, and was laid beside his wife at Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin.
John Augustus Conolly lays at rest with his wife Ida in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold’s Cross, Dublin. (Photo by Michael Coyne)
Lieutenant Colonel John Augustus Conolly VC is remembered with pride at Castletown House and Parklands, the Berkshire Regimental museum and the Guards Museum who kindly helped us with images of John Conolly.
This project is made possible with funding from Kildare County Council.
Taking part in our Kildare’s Veterans’ Story project today was Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces veteran Dr Cathal Berry TD in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Cathal is an Independent TD for the constituency of Kildare South. Cathal is a father, husband, doctor, veteran and is a resident of Portarlington, Co. Laois. He is married to Orla and is the proud father of their young children Tom and Katie.
Prior to becoming a TD, Cathal spent 23 years in the Irish Defence Forces. He entered military service in with the Cadet School, Military College, Curragh Camp in 1995. After a tough 21 months training he was commissioned into the Infantry Corps. During his time in the Defence Forces, he spent six years in the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) and served overseas in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. In 2008, Cathal led an ARW unit in Chad. He later took a self-funded career break to qualify as a medical doctor in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
He subsequently worked in the HSE Ireland hospital emergency departments all over the country and then returned to the Defence Forces where he was appointed head of the Military Medical School in the Curragh, Co. Kildare. He retired from service at the rank of Commandant.
Dr Cathal Berry TD with two members of his team: Lesley Walsh and Philip Coy, both of whom are also former members of the Defence Forces. Lesley, a Newbridge native, spent 24 years in the Defence Forces, serving in the 3rd Infantry Battalion, DFTC, and Chief of Staff’s Division, DFHQ. Philip (Busty) is a Curragh native serving 24 years in the Defence Forces primarily in the Military Detention Unit and the Transport Company in the DFTC. (Photo by John O’Byrne)
Wesley Bourke interviewing Dr Cathal Berry TD . (Photo by John O’Byrne)
This supported by Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.
Over the past year and half we have been researching for our first project – Celbridge’s Military Story. This project has led us down history trails we never envisaged. A project by the History Squad in Scoil Na Mainistreach on Celbridge’s casualties of the Great War led us to Major William Dease – son of Sir Col. Gerald Dease – who in turn had recruited local men into the Remounts in 1914. By pure chance we came across a casualty of the Great War not on the Celbridge war dead list: Private Robert Beveridge 28th Remount Squadron who is buried in Naas, County Kildare. Robert died on 25 January 1919 in the Curragh Military Hospital. The Kildare Observer confirmed he had been given a military funeral with honours paid by the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Robert’s military records have not survived and no birth cert exists. Last year we inconclusively connected Robert to Celbridge through census records: the census listed a Robert Beverage, foster child with the Lennon family in Celbridge and later a labourer. Digging up several conundrums we came to multiple dead ends to conclusively prove the two Roberts were one of the same.
Not wanting to leave it at that we endeavoured to find out more. With the help of historians Drs Ann Mathews and Brendan O’Shea, local historians Jim Tancred and George Bagnall, Graham Hughes and Martin Whyte of St. Corban’s cemetery, and David Grant (www.cairogang.com) the story of Robert began to come together piece by piece. Through documents such as Robert’s Soldier’s Effects we were able to link the Private Beveridge buried in Naas to Celbridge and the Lennon family. As it turns out the Lennon family are still in the area and proudly remember Robert. We met the Lennon family – who still poses Robert’s medals and his photograph – and paid tribute at his grave. The History Squad had the key all along. 100 years ago, the Lennon family were the stuart’s of the Dease estate in Celbridge Abbey and Kilmacredock.
We will be bringing you Robert’s full story in the coming months.
Nora and Eoghan Lennon at the grave of Private Robert Beveridge in Naas. (Photograph by Wesley Bourke)
This project is sponsored by Kildare County Council Heritage Office.
