Lusitania Memorials

>>I wonder what notice there was in 1980 on the 75th anniversary, if any........<<

Excepting maybe a meet among a few remaining survivors, I doubt there was much attention paid to it at all. Titanic seems to be the pop culture disaster of choice on my side of the pond. Lusitania appears almost completely forgotten. If anything appears in the newspapers, it's almost as a footnote.
 
Well, in May 1980 there was a rebroadcast of the Murder by Misadventure on PBS. Several survivor interviews, which I did not save, ran in the papers.
 
"Desecration of graves is condemned by all, including the various "former" para-military organizations."

This needs some qualification. The Lusitania Memorial at Cobh was desecrated for months if not years by IRA propaganda placards. Can we be reassured that this desecration has now ceased?

Noel
 
Hi Noel,

I am including a recent photo, taken by myself a few weeks ago, showing the Lusitania Memorial as it is today.

Graffitti is common all over the world, and whereas the Memorial is "blemish free" at present, one can never tell when mindless morons are going to strike with their can of paint.

As a general rule, memorials are left alone in Ireland. To my knowledge, any attacks on monuments or graves in Ireland in the recent past have been the work of drunken louts and not organized attacks by para-militaries, or other organized groups.

Regards,

Peter
 
>>The Lusitania Memorial at Cobh was desecrated for months if not years by IRA propaganda placards.<<

I'm sorry, but this is a wild, nonsensical and
untrue claim.

95993.jpg
 
Hi Senan,

thanks for the photo of the Cobh memorial detail.
Erie is along way from where I am so I don't have a chance to get to Kinsale head. BTW i have a copy of your book and it ranks as one of the best.


If anyone can post photos of the memorial service at the Old Head I would be most grateful.

hi all

Martin
 
"I'm sorry, but this is a wild, nonsensical and
untrue claim."

I'm not surprised you say this; the desecration I refer to seems to have been airbrushed out of local history.

It is a matter of record that the Lusitania memorial at Cobh was hijacked by the IRA circa 1981. They obscured it by surrounding it with placards referring to the deceased hunger striker Bobby Sands.

I'm confident an examination of the contemporaneous Cork Examiner will give confirmation.

Despite protests from affronted visitors and others, the local authority failed to take any remedial action for months if not years. Whether this failure to act stemmed from intimidation or partisan equivocation is not now clear.

Perhaps I go back too far.

Noel
 
Noel, you said "months and years."

The actions of your Government in 1981 convulsed this whole country. For a short period.

The Lusitania memorial is in the centre of Cobh.

It is the same as suggesting that Anti-War protestors had "desecrated" Lord Nelson's statue in Trafalgar square.

The specific allegation is untrue - the Lusitania memorial has never been a focus, per se, for such activity.
 
Hi All,

Here is the photo of the Cobh Lusitania Memorial I was attempting to post a few days ago, but failed because it was too big. As you can see, it is in good condition and not vandalised or desecrated.

Owen, I will be attending the ceremony at the Old Head tomorrow and I will post photos when I get an opportunity during the next week or so.

Regards,

Peter

96020.jpg
 
The 90th anniversary of the tragedy will be also be commemorated tomorrow when the Courtmacsherry lifeboat (which went out in 1915) sails from Barry's Point just before noon. It will make the 18km voyage south to the wrecksite.

On board will be representatives of the clergy, the Bandon War Memorial committee and various dignitaries.

The lifeboat will anchor over the wreck site for a wreath-laying ceremony at the exact time the torpedo struck in memory of those who perished.

More ceremonies involving the FCA, coastguard and RNLI, will follow at the memorial later. A 91-year-old survivor from Wales will be present.


Martin, thank you very much for your kind words about "Lusitania: An Irish Tragedy." I tried to make it as different as possible from others already out there, with nothing about the "deadly rendezvous," as it were.

As they said on another thread, is 100% Frohman-free, low in Vanderbilt (using only legend-removed ingredient), contains no saccharine and I see from the index was made without Hubbard.

There may be nut traces.

Regards,

Senan
 
Hello Peter,
Can't wait to see the photos. Make sure that you are in at least one of them. As I mentioned before, we are such slackers here in the US as there is nothing major planned. The only thing I can think of is the 3 part lecture being given in East Aurora, New York.

Senan, I won't get that image out of my head all day!
 

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