Kilcoole 1916 Plaque Unveiled

Bringing home the Beretta

he whole town seemed to have turned out on Sunday, November 27th 2016, for the unveiling of a plaque to honour Kilcoole’s deep connections to the 1916 Rising.

With local hero Captain Robert Monteith and the 1914 Kilcoole Gun Running singled out on the plaque for their vital contributions, the important role the small Wicklow town played in this pivotal moment in Irish history is now written in stone.

With the cheers still ringing in their ears, we asked the organisers, Kilcoole’s Feet On The Beat committee, to explain how it all came to be…

Take it away, kids… 

The committee of Feet on the Beat were delighted with the turn-out today for the unveiling of the plaque to commemorate Kilcoole’s participation in the 1914 gun running.
The idea was born after the events that took place in Kilcoole in June, for the Kilcoole Remembers 1916 festival were finished up and no memorial plaque was put in place.

So, thanks to the generosity of John Flynn, who produced the plaque, Michael Kuntz for the design and the Byrne family for the location. The community of Kilcoole came together with lots of village groups taking part in a small parade.

Thank you to all the volunteers and the people of the village for their donations that enabled it all to go ahead and to assist in today’s success.

Big thanks to John McGowan for capturing all the joy of the day.

Find out more about Kilcoole’s history in our archive of the town here, about Captain Robert Monteith – including a tribute by his grandson in his hometown – right here, explore the Kilcoole Gun Running centenary here and the Kilcoole Remembers 1916 celebrations here.