Wexford’s St Kearns Commemoration remembers fatal explosion from War of Independence
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Pictured at the St Kearns commemoration are Cllr Michael Whelan, Bernadette Finn, John Kinsella, Anne Finn and Tomas Kinsella. Photograph: Patrick Browne
Pictured at the St Kearns commemoration is Fr. Byrne . Photograph: Patrick Browne
08/10/2023. Pictured at the St Kearns commemoration is Ray Finn, Arklow pipe band. Photograph: Patrick Browne
Pictured at the St Kearns commemoration are Marion O’Donohue, Patrick Sinnott, Michael Walsh, Anna Ryan, Michael Ryan, John Kinsella. Photograph: Patrick Browne
A crowd gathered for the annual St Kearns commemoration event, remembering the biggest single loss of life in County Wexford during the War of Independence.
At 10.20 p.m. on October 12, 1920, the locality around picturesque St Kearns near Saltmills was shattered by an explosion.
Fourteen men from the locality were making explosives in an unoccupied house when one explosive accidentally exploded, killing five and injuring the others.
Six of the surviving amateur bomb makers were subsequently imprisoned and three more went on the run from the RIC. A monument was erected on the site in October 1970 to commemorate this local tragedy on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the explosion.
Bagpiper Ray Flynn played at the ceremony and Cllr Michael Whelan welcomed the crowd and read the Proclamation.
Fr William Byrne said prayers and afterwards Ray played Amhrán na bhFiann.
Afterwards people gathered at The Vine Cottage for tea, coffee and refreshments.
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