Memorial unveiled at Crosskeys

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD and Councillor Pauline McCauley at the memorial unveiling

HUNDREDS thronged Crosskeys Cemetery in County Cavan last Sunday for the unveiling of a memorial stone to the late Patsy Lee, a former Portlaoise POW, who died on 12 August 2006.
Republicans from all over Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and south Armagh were joined by contingents who travelled from Meath and Tipperary.
Local friends and neighbours turned out to again record their respect to the memory of a native son of Crosskeys.
Patsy was a gifted traditional fiddle player, a kindly and quiet man and a lifelong committed republican who in later life found himself as a republican prisoner in Portlaoise.
Released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, Patsy Lee returned to County Cavan and remained faithful until his death to the cause he served and the comrades he knew and cherished over many years.
Led by a colour party and local elected Sinn Féin representatives, a large turn-out made the steep climb from Crosskeys village to the local church and graveyard. The Cullyhanna Republican Band (south Armagh) also attended.
Proceedings at the unveiling ceremony were chaired by Cavan County Councillor Pauline McCauley.
The unveiling of the Celtic Cross memorial was performed by the Cavan/Monaghan TD and Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, whereupon a blessing was performed by local parish priest Fr Liam Kelly.
Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Republican Movement and by representatives of Sinn Féin cumainn throughout County Cavan.
Following the sounding of Reveille by a bugler and the lowering of the flags, a tribute was delivered to the memory of the deceased by Cavan County Councillor Charlie Boylan.
A lament was played on the tin whistle by Tom Rehill who was followed on the fiddle by his daughter, Aisling, a pupil of the late Patsy Lee.


BELIEF
The oration was delivered by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.  We carry below a brief extract from his address:
“Patsy will be numbered among the countless people in our country’s story who lived quietly and knew nothing of the spotlight but who made their contribution to the cause of progress and freedom and peace in their own unique way.
“He did so as part of this community in which he was a valued member and in which he always maintained a keen interest. He did so as a great exponent of Irish traditional music, a gifted fiddle player who loved nothing better than to accompany young people in song and in dance at feiseanna and fleadhanna in County Cavan and beyond.
“As was so aptly stated in his obituary in An Phoblacht, Patsy was of a most gentle disposition and with a big heart, he exuded his inner happiness when immersed in the music, song and dance of his people and of his country.
“We often use the phrase ‘life-long republican’, perhaps without thinking much about its full implications. It denotes not just a length of time but also an intensity of belief and a commitment to a cause that endures through difficult times and many challenges. Such was the experience of Patsy, like so many others.
“The fortunes of the republican struggle saw Patsy face prosecution, conviction and imprisonment by the authorities in this state. We all know that, but for their commitment to Irish republicanism and but for the existence of a conflict in our country, men and women like Patsy would never have known prison bars. They were not criminals. They were political prisoners and from 1969 onwards there were thousands upon thousands of them North and South, in English prisons and beyond, imprisoned for long and for short terms but all in the same cause.
“Patsy was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. His imprisonment no doubt came as a surprise to many who had not known of his republican involvement but let it be said that he had earned the respect of his comrades throughout the country. He was released from Portlaoise Prison under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement after serving only a short period of his sentence.
“Paying tribute to his comrades in 1916, James Connolly said: ‘Never had man or woman a grander cause, never was a cause more grandly served.’
“The cause of Irish freedom was grandly served by Patsy Lee. We extend continuing sympathy to Patsy’s brother, Matty, and his family and to the wider Lee, Keogan, Clerkin and Boylan families.
“I measc Laochra na nGael go raibh a anam dílis”.