Croppy memorial at Pearse Park in Dundalk restored to former glory

The Croppy memorial at Pearse Park, which commemorates the rebellion of 1798, has been restored to its former glory thanks to a donation from Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú.

The memorial, which was erected by Dundalk Urban District Council in 1998 to mark the bicentenary of the United Irishmen’s rebellion, features the Seamus Heaney poem, ‘Requiem for the Croppies’.

The Croppies was a nickname given to the United Irishmen who wore their hair cropped, eschewing the powdered wigs of the rich and taking their inspiration from the ‘sans culottes’ of the French Revolution who also refused to wear the wigs associated with the aristocracy in Paris.

The words of the poem, and the local dedication which remembers "all those from Dundalk who died in the 1798 rebellion", had become weather-worn, faded and illegible over the two decades and when Deputy Ó Murchú was approached by local residents about it, he offered to pay for its restoration.

The renowned monumental company, Byrne Monumental Works, Crossmaglen, were tasked with the restoration and, despite delays due to cold weather, the project was completed last month.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: "I was more than happy to be involved with the restoration of this beautiful and poignant memorial to the 1798 rebellion and I want to thank Byrne Monumental Works for carrying out the repainting of the stone.

"They did a wonderful job and I know that people in the area, and indeed across Dundalk, will be happy to see this memorial restored to its former glory."