Drama to honour Fianna martyrs of 1972

ON Friday, 27 November, a commemorative drama in the Crumlin Star by ex-POWS will honour four courageous young Fianna Éireann members who lost their lives in the conflict in 1972.
The republican ex-POWs  – from Ardoyne, Ligoniel and the Bone areas of Belfast – will be staging Young Guard of Erin to pay tribute to the heroism of David McAuley, Joseph Campbell, Josie McComiskey and Bernard Fox. The families of these Fians will be guests of honour on the night.
Founded 100 years ago, Pádraig Pearse said of Na Fianna Éireann, “They were as important as the creation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913.”
The Fianna  went on to play a significant role during Easter Week 1916 and it is reported that the first shots of the Rising were fired by Fianna officers who attacked and captured the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park.
During the recent conflict, Na Fianna Éireann  again came to the fore. Hundreds of young men volunteered their services to the Republican Movement as the political crisis in the North deepened and the situation militarised. In total, 21 Fians were to die throughout the North.

• Doors open at 8pm and the play will begin at 8.15pm sharp. Admission is £5.