Pearse Column’s heroic escape retraced

Sean South and Fergal O'Hanlon

THE heroic escape across the mountains from Altawark in Fermanagh to Monaghan after the famous 1957 raid on Brookeborough RUC Barracks in which Seán South and Feargal O’Hanlon lost their lives was retraced by 20 young republicans last month as they undertook ‘The Pearse Column Walk’.
The event, which was organised by Fermanagh Ógra Shinn Féin, sought through a practical, participative event to better inform young republicans of the heroic activities of the members of the Pearse Column and to commemorate the two gallant men that lost their lives in the attack.
At the end, walkers gathered at Derrygannon Hall for a barbeque and a discussion with Bobby Storey, Chairperson of Belfast Sinn Féin, and a close friend of the late Eugene Cosgrove, who played a key role in organising many of the commemorative events for the Pearse Column Volunteers.