The Mayo Peace Park committee is hosting a National Day of Commemoration ceremony for the Mayo area, at 12 noon on Sunday July 10 in the Mayo Peace Park in Castlebar.
On Easter Monday the committee commemorated the centenary of the Easter Rising, and since then they have done the same for many other historic events. This remembrance ceremony will acknowledge all wars and conflicts, with a special focus on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, which started on July 1 1916, this lasted for several months and cost the lives of numerous Mayo born soldiers. The guest speaker on the day will be well known journalist and military historian, Kevin Myers. Martin Sheridan from Dublin, a nephew of the late Captain Henry Sheridan from Castlebar who died during one of the many actions of the Battle of the Somme, will be present to speak and lay a wreath in memory of the fallen.
The Army will provide a colour party for the occasion. The event will consist of prayers, poetry reading, formal wreath laying, and the Last Post will be sounded. The Castlebar Town Band and piper Pat Conlon will set the tone for the event. The event will feature some of the the finest local singers and musicians such as Julianne Hennelly, Thomas Langan, Caoimhe Kilkenny, and Aiden Bolger.
