Veterans’ stories area matter of record
He refers to my recent contribution on the volunteers who were executed at Victoria Barracks, Cork, during the War of Independence.
Following more than 30 years of being subjected to the revisionist view of the period, it is heartening to see a journalist calling for the recognition of those men and women who participated in the conflict from 1916-’22.
His call for a museum dedicated to the War of Independence and the Civil War to be established in Cork deserves serious consideration.
In the interest of clarity, I would like to comment on one of the points made in the column.
Peter Levy bemoans the fact that Cork IRA men of the period died without being interviewed.
This is not entirely correct. In 1947, the de Valera government set up the Bureau of Military History (BMH) to record the accounts of those who took an active part in the conflict. Written accounts were taken from nearly 1,800 people, with over 350 from Cork-based veterans.
These statements are of great historical interest as they give a good understanding of what motivated the participants of the period.
The material collected by the BMH was to have been made available to the public after 25 years. However, it was March 2003 before the collection was finally released to public scrutiny.
This 30-year gap appears to reinforce Peter Levy’s views on section 31 and the general press censorship that existed during that period.
It is now time that we, as a nation, matured and acknowledged the contribution of our predecessors, rather than denigrating them at every opportunity, as has been done by many in the revisionist lobby.
I hope that Peter Levy’s piece heralds a new beginning and understanding of that period of our history within journalism in Ireland.
Kevin Girvin
Ballinora
Waterfall
Co Cork
