THE voices of the Great War will resound again in Killyleagh this weekend with a unique commemoration of the start of the First World War.
A night of poetry, drama and music takes place in St. John’s Parish Church at 7.30pm on Friday as part of the Killyleagh Remembers the Great War series of events.
During the event, a replica battlefield cross which was used as the centrepiece of the town’s commemoration of the start of the war on August 4, is to be handed over to St. John’s for safekeeping for future generations.
It will be handed over by the town’s three surviving veterans from the Second World War.
The cross was crafted by Killyleagh’s John Scott from wood gifted by Clarke Cunningham.
“Friday night’s event will open with music from local schoolchildren and contributions from the choirs of the town. Helga Nixon and Ronnie Crosby are the guest soloists,’’ explained one of the organisers, Dougie Marr.
“The work of the war poets will be read alongside original letters home from Killyleagh soldiers. It is a free event, open to everyone.”
Friday night’s event is part of the four month-long series of events, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund aimed at deepening people’s understanding of a war that was to end all wars, and the challenges of how the story is shared and told to the next generation. The aim has been to take the events to all the venues in the town.
Last Thursday night one of Ireland’s leading historians, Dr. Eamon Phoenix, delivered a lecture at St. Mary’s Hall on the impact of the Great War on nationalism. He was formally introduced by the parish priest, Fr. Eugene O’Neill.