Image: Memorial, Garden of Remembrance, Ballinamuck - geograph.org.uk - 1310821

Description: Memorial, Garden of Remembrance, Ballinamuck This stone stands in the Garden of Remembrance which was opened in 1998 on the site of the old court house to commemorate the Battle of Ballinamuck. Following on the Irish Rebellion of 1798, a French invasion force landed near Killala in County Mayo on August 22, hoping to join forces with Irish rebels. After some initial successes, the French force of about 1000 men were confronted by overwhelmingly greater numbers of British troops at Ballinamuck and shortly surrendered. An Irish irregular force, including Irish deserters from the British army, continued to fight on and suffered heavy casualties. Whereas the French prisoners were treated honourably and repatriated, some 200 Irish including their General George Blake were hanged as traitors. A panel in the village describes the imagery of the stone. The left hand panel represents 1798 and shows the weapons that were used at the time of the battle. The second panel is left blank and represents the passage of time between then and now. The third panel represents the present with the date 1998 surmounted by a dove with an olive branch representing the longing for peace in Ireland today.
Title: Memorial, Garden of Remembrance, Ballinamuck - geograph.org.uk - 1310821
Credit: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Oliver Dixon
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes