An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that i shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that i fight i do not hate,
Those that i guard i do not love;
My country is Kiltartan's Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.
Irish Poet W.B Yeats

Peace Park Memorial is dedicated to all Irishmen from whatever political

persuation or tradition who served and died in World War 1, especially in the three divisions raised in Ireland. The 36th Ulster Division, The 16th Irish Division and The 10th Irish Division.

The Tower memorial is close to the site of the June 1917 battle for Messines Ridge and was chosed because that battle witnessed one of the few where Irish Catholics and Protestants, soldiers of all traditions from the island of Ireland fought side by side against a common enemy. Because of the events of the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916 and the partition of Ireland under the Anglo-Irish treaty in 1922 and the Irish Civil War that followed it, little was done outside Ireland to commemorate the fallen of the Great War from what became the Republic of Irelnad, by the Irish or the British Governments. Those countries who were engaged in the Great War 1914-1918 all preserve the memory of their fallen soldiers in national monuments in the Western Front area. The Memorial Tower recalls the sacrifices of those from the island of Ireland from all political traditions who fought and died in the Great War. It also serves as a modern day reconciliation. The tower houses bronze cubicles
containing record books listing the known dead, which are publicly accessible

copies of the originals belonging to the National War Memorial in Dublin. The 110-foot tower is in the traditional design of an Irish Round Tower and is partially built with stone from a former British Army Barracks in Tipperary, the remainder of the stone from a work-house outside Mullingar, County Westmeath. A bronze tablet inside the entrance of the park bears the following inscription, entitled ' Peace Pledge '

" From the crest of this ridge, which was the scene of terrific carnage in the First World War on which we have have built a peace park and Round Tower to commemorate the thousands of young men from all parts of Ireland who fought a common enemy, defended democracy and the rights of all nations, whose graves are in shockingly uncountable numbers and those who have no graves, we condemn war and the futility of war. We repudiate and denounce violence, aggression, intimidation, threats and unfriendly behaviour. As Protestnats and Catholics, we apologise for the terrible deeds we have done to each other and ask for forgiveness. From this sacred shrine of rememberance, where soldiers of all nationalities, creeds and political allegiances were united in death, we appeal to all people in Irelnad to help build a peaceful and tolerant society. Let us remember the solidarity and trust that developed between Protestants and Catholic soldiers when they served together in these trenches.
As we jointly thank the Armistice of 1918 - when the guns fell silent along this western front- we affirm that a fitting tribute to the principles for which men and women from the Island of Irelnad died in both World Wars would be a permanent peace "

The park surrounding the memorial tower contains thirteen smaller structures. Three pillars giving the killed, wounded and dead of each division:

The 10th ( Irish ) Division : 9,363
The 16th ( Irish ) Division: 28,398
The 36th ( Ulster) Division: 32, 186

Also included in these structures is an upright tablet listing the counties of Ireland, the names running together to suggest the unity of death. A bronze tablet depicting a plan of the battle area, and nine stone tablets with prose, poems and letters from Irish servicemen. One of the poems is by Irish Poet Francis Ledwidge who served with the 5th Inniskilling Fusiliers and was killed in action. It is called ' Soliloquy '

 

When i was young i had a care
Lest i should cheat me of my share
Of that which makes it sweet to strive
For life, and dying still survive,
A name in sunshine written higher
Than lark or poet dare aspire

But i grew weary doing well,
Besides, t'was sweeter in that hell,
Down with the loud banditti people
Who robbed the orchards, climbed the steeple
For jackdaws' eyes and made the cock
Crow ere 'twas daylight on the clock.
I was so very bad the neighbours
Spoke of me at their daily labours.

And now I'm drinking wine in France,
The helpless child of circumstance.
To-morrow will be loud with war,
How will i be accounted for?

It is too late now to retrieve
A fallen dream, too late to grieve
A name unmade, but not to late
To Thank the gods for what is great;
A keen edged sword, a soldier's heart,
Is greater than a poet's art.
And greater than a poet's fame
A little grave that has no name.

' Soliloquy '

Francis Ledwidge