Argentinian band honour Liam Lynch
3 Irish-American and 1 Irish-Argentinian pipe band are travelling to Ireland to mark the centenary of the death of General Liam Lynch.
The pipe bands all have strong Irish connections, and plays sets of music traditionally associated with piping in Ireland. They are County Cork Pipe Band from New York, the New Hampshire Police Pipes & Drums, Sword of Light Pipe Band from New York and the Eamon Bulfin Legacy Pipe Band from Argentina.
While in Ireland, the 4 bands will play at 2 commemorative events, 1 in Cork city to mark the 1916 Rising and to remember the killing of Tomás MacCurtáin, whose centenary parade was postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
The parade has been rescheduled to take place on Easter Saturday 8 April, with a march through Cork city from MacCurtáin’s home in Blackpool to the National Monument on the Grand Parade.
Tomás MacCurtáin was the lord mayor of Cork and Commandant of Cork No. 1 Brigade IRA, and a founder of the Cork Volunteer Pipe Band, and the Na Fianna Pipers.
The Easter parade In Cork is this year being dedicated to the memory of three Cumann na mBan members from Cork who died during the Irish Civil War. One, Margaret Dunne was killed 100 years ago to the day of the parade, by the Free State Army in Adrigole. The other two are Siobhan Cleary and Marie Carey who both died in 1923/1924 following hunger strikes after being imprisoned by the Free State Government.
On Easter Sunday the 4 pipe bands will join another 10 pipe bands in Fermoy for a commemorative parade in honour of General Liam Lynch. The parade is part of a weekend of events taking place in Fermoy, which include a commemorative concert in Fermoy Youth Club on Saturday 1 April, 2 historical exhibitions, a conference on the Civil War, and a number of historical publications, and production of a souvenir booklet.
The event in Fermoy on Easter Sunday 9 April for General Liam Lynch, will commemorate the 1,800 Volunteers, Cumann na mBan, and Fianna members killed during the War for Independence between 1916–1923, of which 250 were from Cork.
Lynch was killed on 10 April 1923, when more than 1,000 Free State soldiers began a roundup in Tipperary to try to entrap the leadership of the IRA which was holding a meeting in a safe house at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains.
His death effectively ended the Civil War, with an IRA order to dump arms taking place the following month in May. Speakers on the day include historian Tim Horgan and Deputy Mayor of Cork County Deirdre O’Brien.
The Eamon Bulfin Legacy Pipe Band is named after Eamon Bulfin who took part in the 1916 Rising and is credited with raising the Irish Republic flag over the GPO. He became the State’s first ambassador to Argentina, which now has an estimated 1m people of Irish descent.
The band had planned a trip to Cork in 2020, but given the severe economic recession in Argentina struggled in raising funds to make the trip. They have a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the trip.