Annual Roscrea Castle executions commemoration by Sinn Féin this weekend

The 102nd anniversary of the execution of four men in Roscrea Castle during the War of Independence will be marked at a commemorative ceremony in the heritage town this Sunday (Jan 26) organised by the Roscrea Treacy Cré Sinn Féin Cumann.

Guest speakers at the event will be former Sinn Féin MEP, Martina Anderson and Galway West Sinn Féin TD, Mairéad Farrell.

Guest speaker at last year's event was Deputy Louise O'Reilly, Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Fingal and in 2022 Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited Roscrea to speak at the commemoration.

As in previous years the organisers again requested permission from the OPW to hold their event inside the grounds of Roscrea Castle for the 2025 commemoration, but were not facilitated.

This year the guest speakers will visit Sean Ross Abbey and the Angel's Plot burial ground with Roscrea's Michael Donovan, before attending the official commemoration on planned for Castle Street at 2pm.

The ceremony on Castle Street will be preceded by a march through the town by a colour party which will begin in the large carpark on Lourdes Road (old Tesco carpark).

On January 15, 1923 four men were executed by firing squad for the illegal possession of arms and ammunition after they were arrested at Ross Cottage near Borrisoleigh, on December 23, 1923.

The four men were: Frederick Burke from Curnaboola, Ileigh, Borrisoleigh aged 28; Patrick Russell, from Summerhill, Borrisoleigh, aged 26; Martin O’Shea from Garrangrena, Borrisoleigh, aged 22 and Patrick McNamara from Killaloe, Co. Clare, aged 22. All four were executed in Roscrea Castle Barracks. The executed men's remains were not returned to their families until the summer of 1924.

When the remains were eventually returned it was cause for tense military displays at a time when weapons and gatherings were forbidden.