Tribute to the dead of Ardoyne, Ligoniel and the Bone unveiled by relatives of fallen and heroes of 1916

LONG MONTHS of hard work came to fruition at the weekend for people in the Ardoyne, Ligoniel and Bone areas of north Belfast when the new Garden of Reflection was officially opened at Herbert Street in Ardoyne as a lasting memorial to those who lost their lives during the conflict.

Hundreds of people travelled across the city on Sunday to join local republicans and community activists for a parade from the site of the old memorial on Berwick Road to the new site, built on reclaimed derelict land by members of the Ardoyne, Bone, Ligoniel Heritage Association.

Leading the parade was a republican colour party, followed by representatives of those from the areas who lost their lives in the conflict.

Groups of republican ex-POWs from the Falls, Ballymurphy, New Lodge and further afield joined the parade behind former prisoners from Ardoyne, Ligoniel and the Bone districts.

Also on the march were the O’Neill/Allsopp and Éire Nua republican flute bands from Belfast while the South Derry Martyrs RFB travelled in for the occasion.

A ‘flying column’ of uniformed male and female Volunteers made a historical mark as they paraded with replica weapons from the 1916-1922 period.

Speaking to An Phoblacht about the effort put into the project, long-time republican activist and ex-POW Jackie Donnelly described the Garden of Reflection as a tribute to the memory of all the men, women and children from these three small areas who lost their lives as a direct result of the conflict.

“It is also dedicated to all our people who despite murder, imprisonment, intimidation and relentless brutality remained, and remain to this day, communities who are unbowed and unbroken,” Jackie said.

Jackie was emphatic in his praise of the people within the communities who financed this project.

The Ardoyne man stated this Garden of Reflection was built by the community and described how the commemoration committee made the conscious decision from the outset not to apply for grants “so that we would not be beholded to anyone except ourselves”. He added:

“I’m very honoured to be part of this wonderful project and I’m certain our people will be proud of their Garden.”

The unveiling ceremony was carried out by representatives of the families of Winnie Carney, Cathal Shannon, Charlie Monaghan and Seán Mac Diarmada, republicans with direct connections to the Rising in Dublin in 1916 but who also had their roots in Belfast.

After the unveiling, ex-POW Shauneen Baker read the areas’ Roll of Honour while local musician Jim Sherry played a lament on the whistle. It was clear that the many relatives who attended the dedication ceremony found it to be a moving tribute and their recollections were those of people remembering a father, a brother, sister, a son, a daughter, a wife or a husband.

The main address was delivered by Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly who praised the work of those who transformed a wasteground into “this magnificent Garden of Reflection”.