An Cosantóir

30 | history Remembering the Connaught Rangers by Tpr William Beirne (4 Cav Sqn), Treasurer CRA Photos by Tpr William Beirne (4 Cav Sqn) & Sgt Dermot Kelly Retd (4 Cav Sqn) A fter a meeting in 2002 in King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, the Connaught Rangers Association (CRA) was established to commemorate the deeds and sacrifices of the men who served in this famous Irish regiment of the British army, and to remember the families who lost loved ones during the Great War and who were left to grieve in silence due to the political and social upheaval in Ireland at the time. To commemorate the military tradition, service and sacrifice of these soldiers and their families' steps were taken to set up a museum in King House. The Old Comrades Association of the Connaught Rangers last sat in the late 1960s but with their passing, first-hand accounts of their deeds died with them. However, their stories, passed down to relatives and historians, have kept their memory alive, and have helped immensely to formulate a database of information now held by the CRA. During its first ten years the CRA has held an annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony in the grounds of King House, and numbers attending have grown year on year. The Association also undertook the recording of all the regiment's war diaries from the Great War, which was a mammoth task, especially for our archivist Oliver Fallon. All this information had to be sourced through the UK's National Archives in Kew and then copied from entries that were often made with pencil while in the trenches. The Association has also organised many trips to France, Flanders, and Gallipoli. Our museum was opened in 2005 by Brig Gen Martin (retd). This was a very memorable day with a large crowd in attendance from all over Ireland and the UK. Attendees included members of the Disbanded Irish Regiments Association and a number of Irish military associations. Since its formation the CRA has been aided greatly by the inclusion of retired and serving military personnel in its ranks and on the committee. When trying to explain the traditions of military service to 'civvies', it has always been a great benefit to be able to fall back on our members' own experiences. There has always been a very strong involvement of 4 Cav Sqn personnel on our committee, past and present (our current chairman is Cpl Gary Egan from 4 Cav Sqn), and it is ironic that this proud unit is, just like the Connaught Rangers, to be no more, due to the reorganisation of the Defence Forces. At this stage I would like, on behalf of the CRA committee, to thank all the military personnel, past and present, who through their membership monies, military experiences and mess humour have helped to make our Association what it is. Looking to the future, the Association has planned two trips to coincide with the centenary of the Great War. The first will be a 48-strong trip to Belgium in 2014, followed by a 25-strong trip to Gallipoli in 2015. Through events like this and ongoing one-day events in King House we feel we are doing our bit to remember this long ignored Irish military generation. King House has great facilities for lectures, seminars or displays and we would encourage groups and individuals to visit our museum and enjoy the greater King House experience as well. To find out more about King House contact the manager, Tommy Egan on 071-9663242. The Connaught Rangers Association can be contacted through our secretary, c/o King House, Boyle Co. Roscommon. You can also visit our website at www.connaughtrangersassoc.com. An Cosantóir Dec 2012/Jan 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie

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