Tara Easter Monday 2016!

Aeríocht and Poetry Reading!

Iris Douglas, Mary McKay Yore, Paul Kerr..?

According to the Evening Herald about five thousand people turned out on Tara on Easter Monday to hear a reading of the Proclamation, thus carrying out the wish of Pádraig Pearse who said that for historical reasons Tara was all important and he wanted the Proclamation read there. The readings were carried out by Ann Finnegan, the President of Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann and Donal O Hannigan, a grandson of the man who received the order from Pearse in 1916. The event was organized by Pat Farrelly of the Scurlogstown Olympiad Group, Paddy Pryle of Navan and the Aeríocht Committee and was probably the largest gathering on Tara since 1948 when Taoiseach John A. Costello, President Sean T. O' Ceallaigh and Eamon de Valera were there for the commemoration of 1798 and marks another historic day for the hill. Donal Ó Hannigan the Commander of the Louth/Meath forces for the 1916 Rising, was ordered by Pearse to mobilize all Volunteers on the Hill on Easter Sunday at 7 pm and read the Proclamation, and Volunteer companies of Carnaross and Drumbaragh, Kells arrived on the Hill on Easter Sunday night 1916 but there was no-one there from Louth or the rest of Meath and they were sent home by Sean Boylan. O' Hannigan and the Louth men did arrive later that week and went on to join the Dunboyne men at Tyrrelstown House at Blanchardstown. The above information was sourced from a publication by Noel French of The Meath Heritage Centre called, "Tara,1916-2016" and worthwhile getting your hands on a copy.

The Aeríocht included other events such as Irish music and dance, a teach gaelic and a demonstration of gaelic games' skills. There were historic talks and an exhibition of artifacts of the  period. Members of The Meath Writers' Circle who read there included myself, Verona Pentony, Carmel Murray, James Linnane and Eugene and Sean Kane.