Newcastle Village, in South east Tipperary, is the venue for the 102st Annual Liam Lynch Memorial Mass on Sunday April 27th.
Liam Lynch, born in Anglesboro, county Limerick, was an Irish Republican Army officer during the War of Independence between 1919-1921. During the subsequent Civil War, he was the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army.
On 10 April 1923, Lynch was killed whilst trying to escape an encirclement by Free State Troops on the slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains near Newcastle. The death of Liam Lynch was one of the final moments of the Irish Civil War with the order to lay down arms following just 20 days later.
The commemoration begins at Tigh na nDaoine, the Community House, Newcastle with a ceremonial raising of the Tri-Colour at 1.45pm. A march will take place from the Community House to Newcastle Church, where mass will be offered at 2pm by Canon Brendan Crowley.
Following Mass, refreshments will be served in the Community Hall in Newcastle which will then be followed by the Oration which this year will be delivered by Peadar Tóibín TD, leader of Aontu. The Chairman of the Liam Lynch Memorial Mass Committee is local Independent TD, Mattie McGrath.
The Liam Lynch Monument on Crohan Hill in the Knockmealdown Mountains consists of an impressive 20-metre-high round tower guarded by four bronze wolfhounds, it has been a familiar sight to generations of ramblers, since it is located on both the East Munster Way and St Declan’s Way
