Memorial to Mayo migrant workers raised in House of Commons

THE Kirkintilloch Bothy Fire which claimed the lives of ten young Mayo men in 1937 was raised by an MP in the UK House of Commons this afternoon.

Ten seasonal workers from Achill aged between 13 and 23 died in the tragedy in the Scottish town of Kirkintilloch when the bothy they were sleeping in caught fire on September 16, 1937.

To mark the 90th anniversary of the tragedy in September 2027, plans are in place in Kirkintilloch to erect a permanent stone memorial close to where the tragedy took place.

The work of the voluntary committee working on the memorial was praised in the House of Commons this afternoon by Katrina Murray, the MP for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch.

The Scottish Labour Party MP told the British Parliament that this year marks the 89th anniversary of the tragedy and asked the Leader of the House of Commons to join her in recognising the efforts made to mark the tragedy.

“The 16th of September marks the 89th anniversary of the Eastside Bothy Fire in Kirkintilloch where ten young men from Achill in Co Mayo lost their lives in what is widely considered to be a deliberate fire in their accommodation. Those young men came to Kirkintilloch like many thousands of Irish migrants before them to work as tattie hawkers on the potato harvest.

“Will the leader join me in paying tribute to the committed local volunteers who have done so much to ensure that these young men are not forgotten, whether it's in Kirkintilloch or in Achill, and are doing what they can to have a permanent memorial in place in time for the 90th anniversary next year,” she told the House of Commons.

A small granite plaque was erected on a building where the bothy once stood in 2007 to mark the 70th anniversary which was vandalised not long after it was erected.

Colm Heneghan, a native of Limerick whose father was a Tourmakeady man and is one of the people spearheading the effort to erect a permanent memorial.

A Facebook page and a fundraising page was set up and Colm and two other people in Kirkintilloch, which is located north of Glasgow, formed a committee to organise an event for the 90th anniversary.

To date they have raised over £10,000 and have received support from the East Dunbartonshire Council for the memorial and plans are in place for the council to provide a site close to the current plaque for the memorial.

In response to Ms Murray's request, Sir Alan Campbell, MP, Leader of the House of Commons replied that he joined her in paying tribute to the volunteers in her constituency who 'ensure that we remember the Eastside Bothy Fire'.

“It's important that we continue to do so. I'm pleased to hear that funding has been raised for a permanent memorial. I hope that work with East Dunbartonshire Council can progress swiftly to have it built in time for the 90th anniversary,” he said.

To find out more about the Kirkintilloch memorial, visit the website www.kbfm2027.com where donations to the memorial can be made.