New banner unveiled to Derrybeg Martyrs

‘This new banner will now be displayed at commemorations all across Ireland and this will ensure the memory of these men and the cause they died for will never be forgotten’

A NEW BANNER to the ‘Derrybeg Martyrs’ was unveiled at the weekend by republicans from Newry and beyond on Saturday 24 August.  

The Derrybeg Martyrs – Brendan Watters, Colm Marks, Patrick and Michael Hughes and Eddie Grant – were five IRA Volunteers from the Derrybeg area. 

The decision to remember the Derrybeg Martyrs in a collective way led to the renaming of the Hughes, Grant, Watters Sinn Féin Cumann in Derrybeg which will now be known as the Derrybeg Martyrs Sinn Féin Cumann, Newry.

A new banner depicting each of the Derrybeg Martyrs was also unveiled at Saturday night’s event chaired by Conor Murphy MP.

Conor described the decision to commemorate the five men together as “a true reflection of the spirit of the people of Derrybeg and also a true reflection of how much the area had suffered during the conflict in Ireland”.

Guest speaker for the event was south Armagh republican Seán Hughes, who spoke of the sacrifice of each of the five men saying:

“It is fitting that each of these men is remembered with pride by people from Derrybeg. It is also important for young people to know the level of republicanism and republican history in the Derrybeg area. 

“That this one housing estate has left a legacy of five Volunteers is, of course, a tragedy to befall such a small area but it should also be a source of pride that the ordinary working-class people of this estate refused to bow down under the injustices of the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s.

“The men we commemorate tonight were much loved members of their own families and the wider community. We pay tribute to the Watters, Marks and Grant families who lost Brendan, Colm and Eddie and the Hughes family who buried both father Patsy and son Michael within two years of each other.

“This new banner will now be displayed at commemorations all across Ireland and this will ensure the memory of these men and the cause they died for will never be forgotten.”