Councillor defends IRA plaque plan
Wednesday February 03 2010
A SINN FEIN councillor has defended plans to erect a plaque to the two local members of an IRA unit who died in 1957.
'Surely we can put up a plaque to two people who died for Ireland,' said defiant Sinn Féin councillor Johnny Mythen as controversy over the proposed IRA memorial continued to grow.
The proposal to commemorate the men who died in an explosion on their way to plant a bomb in Northern Ireland in 1957 has drawn fire from Fine Gael. And well known 'Irish Independent' columnist Kevin Myers has described the proposal as grotesque, perverse and obscene.
Cllr. Mythen pointed out that the Sinn Féin cumann in Enniscorthy already commemorates two of the men who took part in the ill-fated Edentubber campaign. George Keegan was from Enniscorthy town, while Patrick Parle hailed from Wexford town.
He suggested that it is right to commemorate two Republicans who died fighting for a 32-County Republic. However, the initiative proposed by an organisation styling itself Cairde na Laochra, has come under fire from Deputy Paul Kehoe who has stated that he is unhappy about the project.
His Fine Gael colleague Cllr. Paddy Kavanagh indicated he would like Enniscorthy Town Council to re-examine the issue which was put through without a vote at the January meeting.
He agreed with Cllr. Mythen that George Keegan was part of Enniscorthy's history but he could see not reason for commemorating people not from County Wexford. Cllr. Mythen pointed out that the funerals of Keegan and Parle drew huge attendances at the time.
