Wall of Remembrance at Limerick tourism spot to commemorate famine

A POEM by Askeaton woman, Alice Cooke, and inscribed on a plaque, will take pride of place on the new stone wall currently being built at Knockfierna.

The 100-foot long wall is being built by stonemason Tom Lynch from Ballingarry and will be known as the Knockfierna Famine Memorial Wall.

The wall will carry a series of plaques recalling facts about the Great Hunger on Knockfierna but also depicting the flora and fauna of the area as well as some sean-fhocail.

“The work is well advanced with the numerous plaques expected to be erected on the wall this week and the wall to be completed for the annual festival of Lughnasa, Ireland’s oldest festival at the end of this month,” said Pat O’Donovan, the chairman of the Knockfierna Heritage Society who is spearheading the work.

He is particularly pleased that among the plaques will be Ms Cooke’s poem, first published in the 1920s in the Pipe of Peace and with a Knockfierna theme.

“Miss Cooke lived in Cappagh House, Askeaton and died on November 25, 1938. She is buried in Cappagh Graveyard. In 1964 the Thomond Archaeological Society visited Cappagh House and following that visit Tom Pierce published a very interesting article in the Limerick Chronicle where he described Cappagh House as one of the oldest residences in Ireland,” Mr O’Donovan recalled.

“Miss Cooke also published a number of novels such as The Net Of Faith, His Laurel Crown, Irish Heroes in the Red War and she also wrote of a book of verse called The Pipe of Peace. She also had articles published in the Irish Life, The Irish Times, The Daily Express, The Wicklow Newsletter and The Church of Ireland Gazette among others.

Further along the trail from the wall, another major initiative is also taking shape. This is the erection of four large limestone memorial stones to the deceased poets of Limerick City and County. Already in place is a large memorial stone to Michael Scanlan, who left Castlemahon in 1848 and was known as the Fenian poet. Aindreas McCraith, one of the famous Maigue poets, is also remembered in a memorial stone in an area of the hill now known as The Poet’s Way.

Mr O’Donovan has prepared a list of Limerick poets to be inscribed into the memorial stones.

A new car park capable of facilitating 40 cars is also under construction.