The County Fermanagh War Memorial (also known as the Enniskillen War Memorial) stands in
Enniskillen,
County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was originally constructed to commemorate the men of the town killed during the First World War, particularly those serving with the local regiments, the
6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and the
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...
. It was later altered to also commemorate those killed in the Second World War.
The memorial was the site of
an IRA bombing on 8 November 1987, during a
Remembrance Sunday ceremony. Photographs of the war memorial in the aftermath became emblematic of this stage of
The Troubles and the site was visited shortly afterwards by British prime minister
Margaret Thatcher for a rescheduled remembrance ceremony. The memorial was renovated in 1990-91 and a new section added to commemorate those killed in the bombing. The memorial has been visited by the Irish
Taoiseach on Remembrance Sunday each year since 2012.
Original memorial
The County Fermanagh War Memorial Committee was formed after the
First World War and in 1920 sought designs for a war memorial by a notification posted in the ''Architect and Building News''. The estimated cost was stated to be £1,500 and the deadline for entries was 20 November. A winning design had been chosen by early 1921.
The memorial was built by Gaffin & Co.,
[ whose showroom, the Carrara Marble and Granite Works, was at 63 ]Regent Street
Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...
in London. The main figure is of a British First World War soldier, in peaked cap with a rifle, resting on arms reversed.[ This was cast in bronze from a sculpture by a Northern Irish artist. The artist could not find a suitable photograph to work from so based the soldier on a painting by William Gibbes Mackenzie displayed at Belfast City Hall, which shows Thomas McNeilly of the Royal Irish Rifles standing at the temporary cenotaph erected in Belfast for the city's Peace Day commemoration on 9 August 1919.
The sculpture stood on a limestone plinth is engraved with the phrase "OUR GLORIOUS DEAD" and the years "1914-1918". The plinth also showed the names, ranks, decorations and regiments of 612 local men killed in the war and a coat of arms featuring Enniskillen Castle, which is associated with the local 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and ]Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...
regiments. The stepped base has a bronze depiction of a crossed sword and rifle, reflecting the roles of the two regiments (cavalry and infantry).[ The monument was unveiled by the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent on 24 October 1922.][ At the unveiling wreaths were laid by Catholic and Protestant war orphans and an honour guard was provided by the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, the Lincolnshire Regiment and the Royal Horse Artillery.][
Following the Second World War the dates "1939-1945" and the names of the dead from that war (including those who served with the Merchant Navy) added to the plinth.][
]
1987 bombing
World War I memorials
World War I is remembered and commemorated by various war memorials, including civic memorials, larger national monuments, war cemeteries, private memorials and a range of utilitarian designs such as halls and parks, dedicated to remembering th ...
in Ireland had been targeted by Republicans before and during The Troubles, being seen as symbols of the British Army.[ The war memorial was damaged by flying debris, which pockmarked the plinth.][
The war memorial immediately became a symbol of this period of The Troubles. A photograph of the memorial and the bomb-damaged St Michael's Hall community centre was featured on the front page of the '' Irish Times'' the day after the bombing. Similar photographs featured in the newspaper over the following two days. The death toll from this bombing, and news of a second, larger bomb planned to explode the same day at a ceremony in , shocked many people and led to a loss of support for the IRA in the Republic of Ireland.][
In response to the bombing the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher attended a rescheduled remembrance ceremony at the war memorial on 22 November.][ The bombing had the effect of increasing attendance at remembrance ceremonies across Ireland and led to the Royal British Legion resuming sales of remembrance poppies in the Republic of Ireland.][ The British-Irish singer Chris de Burgh's song "At the War Memorial" was written in response to the attack.][
]
1990-91 renovation and recent history
The County Fermanagh War Memorial was renovated in 1990-91 by Phillip Flanagan and Richard Pierce. The world war engravings were recut and a new section, high, added to the plinth.[ The additional section contains depictions of 11 doves (each a unique sculpt) to commemorate those killed in the 1987 bombing and their names were also added to the memorial.][ The central section of the plinth was also painted dark red around this time (photographs from 1987 show it as natural stone). After the renovation, the memorial stands high and approximately square in plan.][
In 2012 the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the memorial on Remembrance Sunday to lay a green laurel wreath on behalf of the Irish government. This marked the start of an annual tradition that was continued by his successor, ]Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
.
A separate memorial to the 12 people whose deaths were caused by the 1987 bombing was unveiled on 8 November 2017 (the 30th anniversary of the event). it was initially sited on land owned by the Catholic Church's St Michael's Diocesan Trust but was removed within hours as the church had not granted its permission. In 2019 it was announced that the memorial would be installed at The Clinton Centre, which stands on the site of a building destroyed by the bombing. There are plans to carry out works to visually connect the new memorial with the existing war memorial.
Gallery
File:Enniskillen_War_Memorial_(inscription)_(geograph_5557994).jpg, Detail of the main inscription and coat of arms
File:Crossed Rifles, Enniskillen War Memorial (geograph 5557988).jpg, Detail of crossed rifle and sword at the base of the plinth
The_War_Memorial,_Enniskillen_(geograph_5557997).jpg, Detail of the sculpture atop the plinth
CenotaphBelmoreStEnniskillen.JPG, The rear of the memorial
References
{{Reflist
Enniskillen
Military history of County Fermanagh
Monuments and memorials in Northern Ireland
World War I memorials in Northern Ireland
World War II memorials in the United Kingdom