Historic day for Lorrha as famous medal comes home

AFTER years of lobbying and months of hard work, the people of Lorrha were delighted to see Martin O'Meara's famous Victoria Cross medal go on display in their village on Saturday week last.
The proceedings began at 10am in the morning, and Chairperson of the Lorrha Martin O'Meara VC Committee, Rose Mannion, said it was her privilege to welcome the large crowd for the homecoming of Martin's Victoria Cross. “It is a wonderful, wonderful occasion,” she said.
Some had travelled long distances for the occasion and some of Martin's descendants were also present.
Rose said the historic day had been in the planning process since July 2019 when the medal arrived in the National Museum in Dublin. A number of people travelled up to the Museum to welcome the medal to Ireland's shores and began lobbying for the medal to be brought down to Lorrha before it returned to Australia in August 2020. However, Covid put the medal's journey on hold for a couple of years. The Australian Ambassador Gary Gray visited Lorrha on two occasions, once in 2021 and another time earlier this year and assured the committee that the medal would be brought down to the village.
On behalf of the committee Rose extended a special word of thanks to the Australian Government who made an amendment to the Protection of Moveable Cultural Heritage Act to allow the “temporary export of important cultural artefacts.” The change in this law meant that the VC could be loaned to Ireland.
“I also wish,” continued Rose, “to single out Neil Dailey of the Australian Army History Unit, Captain Stephen Muir and staff at the Army Museum of Western Australia, staff at the National Museum of Ireland and Ambassador Gary Gray and staff in Dublin and others working behind the scenes.”
Gary Gray told the gathering that Martin O'Meara is held in very high esteem in Australia. “Martin won his medal for saving the lives of his fellow soldiers, by going out into No Man's Land time and time again under withering fire, and bringing in his wounded comrades. He was obviously a deeply humanitarian man and his deep concern for the wounded led him to risk his own life again and again. His story is a beacon of light during a terrible time.” The Ambassador spoke of the “scourge of war” and the harm, the damage it does to innocent people. “Today's service is a commemoration of all the good things Martin O'Meara did in his life.”
RTE sports broadcaster Damien O'Meara was the MC for the occasion. “Although I grew up in Dublin,” he said, “we often came down here for our holidays, and it was drilled into us that we were O'Mearas from North Tipperary, that we were the O'Mearas of the Pike, Rathcabbin.” He joked that “You couldn't swing a cat but you would hit an O'Meara in North Tipperary, there are so many of them.” He added that his parents have a very deep love for this part of Ireland. “Even after living for 50 years in Clontarf, when they say home they mean this area, the area of Lorrha, Rathcabbin, Redwood.”
Damien was full of praise for the Lorrha Martin O'Meara VC committee. “The committee is a modest group of individuals. They don't like to blow their own trumpet but they have been very hard working and have put many hours and much effort into bringing about this day.”
The cross was briefly put on display beside the village's memorial to Martin on the main street. Then it was displayed for a few hours beside the former Dominican Abbey in the grounds of St Ruadhan's Church. Finally, during the afternoon, it was displayed at Martin's former homestead, at Lissernane near Lorrha. In the evening the cross bid adieu to the beautiful village of Lorrha and was brought by members of the Australian Army and the Irish Defence Forces back up to Dublin; and was flown back to Australia the very next day.
During her speech, Rose Mannion thanked the Heritage Section of Tipperary County Council for supporting the committee's application for grant funding. She thanked everyone who supported the committee's fundraising efforts. She thanked Rosemary Joyce, Senior Executive Officer, Tipperary County Council, “who agreed to judge the art work from the children's stamp collection. This was a great success and we thank the pupils and teachers from the three schools in our parish – Lorrha, Redwood and Rathcabbin. We are delighted to be presenting the winners with their prizes today.
“Our sincere thanks to the media, especially the two local papers The Nenagh Guardian and The Midland Tribune who never fail to give us space and who have followed Martin's story along with us. They have played a very important role in keeping Martin's memory alive.”
Michael Dolan, Lissernane, is Captain of the Lorrha Hurling Team that recently won the North Tipperary Intermediate Championship. Michael read out a list of the men from Lorrha and Dorrha or whose family came from the parish who died in Gallipoli. These were Lieutenant Colonel George Butler Stoney, Second Lieutenant James Vernon Yates Willington. Michael also remembered the men from the Lorrha Dorrha parish or whose family came from the parish, who served with the ANZACs and who died in the Great War: Lance Corporal George Johnston Byrne; Private Michael Francis Donahoo, Private Patrick Houlihan, Private Thomas Houlihan.
Michelle Hogan, Principal of Redwood School, read out Francis Ledwidge's poignant poem “A Soldier's Grave” (“Then in the lull of midnight, gentle arms / Lifted him slowly down the slopes of death.”)
Darran Bourke from Lehinch Lorrha sang “The Green Fields of France (No Man's Land)” by Eric Bogel.
Ceri McGrath from Lorrha read out Tom Kettle's powerful poem “To My Daughter Betty, The Gift of God” (“Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead, / Died not for flag, nor King, nor Emperor, / But for a dream, born in a herdsman's shed, / And for the secret Scripture of the poor.”)
Mary Stephens, née O'Meara, of Lissernane, read out the citation for the award of the Victoria Cross to Private Martin O'Meara, which contains the final line, “He showed throughout an utter contempt of danger, and undoubtedly saved many lives.”
Pauline Hoctor, Sharragh (beside Lissernane) read out the several names of Lorrha soldiers who served with the Anzacs during the Great War: John Byrne, Richard Byrne, Cornelius Deane, Daniel Donahoo, Frank De Groot, Martin O'Meara, Michael O'Meara, and Donald Charles.
Following this a bugler played the Last Post and Reveille.
Several wreaths were laid at the main street memorial. The Australian Ambassador Gary Gray laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Australia. Joe Dolan, Lord Mayor of Lorrha, laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Lorrha and Dorrha.
Wreaths were also laid on behalf of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, the Leinster Regiment Association, the Royal Irish Rifles, and the Hickie family (Major General Sir William Bernard Hickie, KCB of Terryglass commanded the 16th Irish Division throughout World War One).
Noreen O'Meara and Fiona Flower, grandnieces of Martin O'Meara VC, laid a wreath on behalf of the O'Meara family of Lissernane.
Committee members Ger O'Meara and Martina Needham recited the “Ode of Remembrance” by Laurence Binyon (“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old”).
William Holmes from Rathcabbin played, on the Uilleann Pipes, the Piper's Lament, in memory of Martin O'Meara.
The large gathering then moved down the street to the Ecumenical Service on the lawn beside the Dominican Abbey. Prayers were read by Father Tom O'Halloran (“we pray for the permanently disabled because of conflict”), Rev Arthur Minion (“We offer our thanks for those today who courageously stand up against injustice and oppression at personal risk to their own safety and freedom”), Father Michael Cooney (“Let us remember all those who have lived and died in the service of mankind”) and Father Pat Deely (The Lord's Prayer).
Darran Bourke sang “Oft, in the stilly night” by Thomas Moore.
Prayers were read by Suzanne Corcoran and Noreen O'Meara (grandniece of Martin O'Meara).
Leslie Harding read a passage from Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation (“And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain”).
The winners of the Stamp Design competition were: 3rd – Gwilym Tooher, Rathcabbin NS; 2nd – Thia Houlihan, Redwood NS; 1st – Saoirse O'Meara, Lorrha NS.
Seamus King, well known author and past student of Redwood School, spoke on the life of Martin O'Meara. “For many years after his death,” Seamus concluded, “Martin was forgotten. Forgotten because it was a changed Ireland, politically, where those who fought in World War One were not only forgotten but were frowned upon. Happily, that situation has now changed. It is wonderful and fitting to have Martin's VC on display here in the parish, for however brief a period.”
Darran Bourke concluded proceedings by singing “Advance Australia Fair” and “Amhrán na bhFiann”.
The following are the members of the Lorrha Martin O'Meara VC Committee: Rose Mannion, Chairperson, Louis McCormack, Treasurer, Gerard O'Meara, Secretary, Joseph Dolan, Fiona Flower, James Heenan, Michael Hoctor, Martina Needham, Michael O'Meara, Noreen O'Meara and Nancy White.