Trees planted to commemorate Kilkenny War of Independence volunteers

A final War of Independence centenary ground marking event took place at the Closh off the Gaol Road and Walkin Street on Saturday as members of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful and the local community planted two trees in their first tree planting event of this winter.

The  trees  planted at the Closh are to commemorate the two volunteers Thomas Hennessey , Michael Dermody and the innocent by stander Thomas Dollard who lost their lives in the Friary st ambush in the War of Independence 100 years ago.

Following on from the successful and memorable Truce day commemoration  on July 11 and a spring pollinator planting event in November this is now the third ground marking event that has taken place at the Closh the proposed site of the Garden of Remebrance which Keep Kilkenny Beautiful hope can also become an award winning tidy towns biodiversity project.

Pat Boyd, chairman of Kilkenny’s tidy towns organisation said Keep Kilkenny Beautiful is a community-led environmental organisation so this tree planting event was an important occasion as we hope to show that community remembrance projects  and biodiversity projects can work well together for the benefit of every one.

"On Saturday we planted trees to commemorate the truce and our own fallen heroes in the War of Independence 100 years ago but we also marked the beginning of a new truce , a truce with nature that is urgently needed to address the emerging threats of biodiversity loss and climate change.

"It is hoped that these events will trigger the necessary consent of Kilkenny Council for Keep Kilkenny Beautiful  to  commence its application for this important Commemoration and Biodiversity Garden project," he added.