THE REINTERRAL OF FEAR PÍCE GAN AINM

national | miscellaneous | press release Wednesday September 24, 2003 16:52 by FEAR PÍCE GAN AINM - The Robert Emmet Association emmet200 at eircom dot net

ROUTE AND TIMES OF CORTEGE OF FEAR PÍCE GAN AINM

The Robert Emmet Association, with the support of the Department of the Taoiseach, The Department of the Environment and Department of Defence is now preparing to bring closure to the commemorations of the revolutionary period
1791-1803. These wide-ranging commemorations have been proceeding over some six years now, and have done much to create new perspectives in which to come to understand the forces then changing and shaping our world.

THE REINTERRAL OF FEAR PÍCE GAN AINM

Robert Emmet's execution marks the end the United Irish period, It is thus a
suitable moment to close the extended commemorations with the reinterral of the
mortal remains of an unknown rebel to be called Fear Píce Gan Ainm in Tulach a
tSolais on Oulart Hill in Co.Wexford on 5 October, 2003. There his remains will
lie in dignity and represent the many thousands who gave their lives in that
tumultuous period and who have no known graves. It is seen as a solemn and
commensurate act of closure.

We see Fear Píce Gan Ainm as the ordinary person struggling to improve the world
of his or her time and to establish the right of ordinary people to play their
part in the state.

Fear Píce Gan Ainm will by definition be of unknown and unknowable identity
except that he died in the United Irish cause in 1798. He may have been of any
background and of any religion.

The grave of a pikeman has been located in Co. Meath where a fugitive rebel lies
buried. The owner of the land is agreeable to co-operate with the project. It is
envisaged that his remains be exhumed and taken to a specially prepared and very
appropriate resting place. A major site was put in place in 1998 in preparation
for this specific reinterral and called Tulach a' tSolais [pronounced Tullock eh
Tullish] on Oulart Hill in County Wexford, scene of the famous battle that
roused the people of County Wexford to their epic assertion in arms of Ireland's
right to sovereign democracy. Fear Píce Gan Ainm may have come from almost any
county however and will represent all those involved in 1798.

Tulach a' tSolais is owned on behalf of the people by Oulart Hill Co-Op; a
voluntary non-profit cooperative who have done remarkable things to generate a
historical area of national stature from the several surviving '98 sites in the
village. Mrs. Jean Kennedy Smith turned the sod for Tulach a' tSolais in '98.

Coillte Teo. is currently planting commemorative woods of deciduous trees of
appropriate varieties on all of their 30 acre holding beside the site of Tulach
a' tSolais as a mark of respect for those who fell in 1798 and to thank the
countries to which the émigrés fled or were transported when 'the cause was lost
again' as Florence Wilson put it.

This very unique ceremony, like that for the Mountjoy Ten, provides an
opportunity to reaffirm our awareness of our patriots and our respect for their
sacrifices; that it will encourage our citizens towards that cognitive
patriotism the times demand, and that it will help replenish people's commitment
to be prepared to work for Ireland, for her people, and for her constructive
influence in the world into the future.

The grave site chosen for the exhumation is one where imminent road-widening now
threatens it. Many '98 pikemen were simply covered over with a few sods in the
gripes by the roads where they expired. The people of Meath remember the graves
and in many cases have marked them with stones and crosses. Fear Píce Gan Ainm
may well in fact be a Meathman. We shall never know. No matter what county he
hailed from he will now represent all - and proud of him we shall all be!
The entire funeral of Fear Píce Gan Ainm will be carried out with the
support of the Department of the Taoiseach, The Department of the Environment,
the Department of Defence. The exhumation will be done by the same expert under
the authority of Meath County Council who have been very helpful as indeed have
Wexford Co. Council. Like The Mountjoy Ten, Fear Píce Gan Ainm touches on the
nation's honour and in like manner his exhumation and reinterral will be carried
out to the letter.
The churches have been very innovative in the matter and the local Catholic
and Protestant Bishops together with the local leaders of the Methodist
Congregation and the Presbyterian Church will lead the ceremonies. The funeral
service will make clear that we do not know Fear Píce Gan Ainm's religion and
that it would be presumptuous if not indeed insulting to others to attribute a
particular religious persuasion to him.
The service will not take place in the church or chapel of any one religion
where it might take on the complexion of being more the property of that
religious denomination than of others. We heartily commend all the churches for
their agreement in this approach. It is a wonderful example of the type of
Ireland the United Irishmen wanted - an Ireland where people might cherish their
own faith in freedom while in politics they would leave aside all religious
distinctions of Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter and act in the common name of
Irishman.
Robert Emmet himself would have agreed that this event provides an
opportunity for a significant moment of reconciliation and renewal throughout
the community as it is contingent on events in history which have been the
subject of much opportunistic sectarian distortion over two centuries. There has
been too much sectarian cornering of the market where history is concerned and
such distortion, which came from nearly all sides, has deeply injured the sense
of community which millions of Irish men and women of all religions ought to
have enjoyed in their lifetimes over the intervening period. It is time for
change. It is as if the commemorations and the new perspectives they facilitated
over the past six years have gradually prepared us for this opportunity to draw
an overt and respectful line under past divisions and to initiate a new
beginning.


ROUTE AND TIMES OF CORTEGE OF FEAR PÍCE GAN AINM
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Friday 3 October
10.30 Ceremony at site of exhumation.

11.00 Enter Navan on foot using guncarriage. Wreathlaying at '98 /Monument

12.00 Leave Navan .

12.30 Arrive Dunshaughlin. To guncarriage. Wreathlaying at '98 Monment.

1.00 Leave Dunshaughlin.

2.30 2.45 Arrive Dublin

3.00 Arrive Mansion House. Received by Royston Brady, Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Mansion House: Bier with Pike Guard of Honour, open to public to pay their respects until 9.00 p.m.

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Saturday 4 October, 2003.

9.00 Leave Mansion House

10.00 Arrive Newtownmountkennedy. Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

10.30 Depart Newtownmountkennedy

11.00 Arrive Arklow - The Fisheries. Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

12.00 Depart Arklow.

12.30 Arrive Gorey. Esmonde Street Wreathlaying at '98 Monument

01.30 Depart Gorey

01.45 Arrive Clogh Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

02.00 Depart Clogh on foot.

02.15 Arrive Tubberneering Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

02.30 Depart Tubberneering

03.00 Arrive The Harrow Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

03.15 Depart The Harrow

03.45 Arrive Enniscorthy - Duffry Gate. Wreathlaying at '98 Monument.

05.00 Depart Enniscorthy

05.30 Arrive Wexford - 1798 Street Wreathlaying in Bullring

06.15 Depart Wexford

06.30 Castlerbridge. Wreathlaying at '98 Monument

07.00 Ballyfarnogue Wreathlaying at 98' Monument

07.30 Arrive Oulart. Wreathlaying at '98
Monument.

07.45 Arrival at '98 Ecumenical Chapel. Multi-Denominational Service.
Pike Guard of Honour through the night.

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Sunday 5 October

11.00 Aifreann an Lae as Gaeilge á chraoladh ar Raidio na Gaeltachta.

3.00 p.m. Funeral departs Chapel for Tulach an tSolais.

3.00 Obsequies led by Bishop Eamon Walshe, Bishop Peter Barret and Rev. Samuel Ankatel.

4.00 Official closure of commemorations of Revolutionary Period 1798-1803.

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