Unveiling of new bronze statue of Thomas Clarke

A LASTING memorial to Dungannon’s most famous son, Thomas Clarke and local Republicans who died during the conflict, was officially opened on Saturday night.

The seven foot bronze statue of Thomas (James) Clarke was completed after months of work by local sculptor Darren Sutton in 2016, to coincide with the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The project was initiated by the Thomas Clarke 1916 Society in Dungannon.

Thomas Clarke (1858 – 1916) was an Irish republican and a leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. A proponent of armed struggle against British rule in Ireland for most of his life, he was arguably the person most responsible for the 1916 Easter Rising. He was born at near Milford-on-Seain England, to Irish parents, who later moved to Dungannon where he grew up.

Clarke spent 15 years in English prisons prior to his role in the Easter Rising, and was executed by firing squad at Kilmainham jail in Dublin with other leaders of the Rising. He was the first of the seven signatories to the Proclamation of the Republic, along with James Connolly, Pádraig Pearse, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas McDonagh, Eamonn Ceannt and Joseph Plunkett.

Several hundred people attended the event which began with a procession from Anne Street to the Thomas Clarke Garden (Gairdín Thomáis Uí Chléirigh) in Lisnahull opposite the O’Neill Park GAA grounds. The local GAA club is also called after Thomas Clarke. Independent councillors Barry Monteith and Dan Kerr and political activist Tommy McKearney were among those in attendance. The procession was led by the Thomas Clarke band from Dungannon, St Jarlath’s pipe Band, Blackwatertown and St Patrick’s Band from Armagh.

Cllr Monteith spoke of how the memorial was planned and came to fruition while thanking all those who contributed in the project. He also talked about Thomas Clarke’s connection to Dungannon which continues to be honoured over 100 years later.

PJ McDonnell recited a poem that Thomas Clarke penned while he was in Chatham Gaol in England and a ballad, ‘Our Own Rebel hero’, he wrote in his memory.

Seamus McGee from Edendork played a lament on the Uilleann pipes before the event closed with the singing of the Irish national anthem, ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’, led by Tony McNally from Dungannon.