Inistioge all set for annual George Brown commemoration on Saturday

George Brown will be remembered again in Inistioge on Saturday. The commemorative event has been held annually since 2007.

George Brown was the son of Francis Brown from Inistioge and Mary Lackey from Tullogher. They were numbered among the countless thousands who emigrated to England in the closing years of the 19th Century.

Mary Brown returned to her family for the birth of her children and thus her son George was born in Inistioge in 1906. George grew up in Manchester and besides being a noted athlete in his youth, he very quickly became politically involved as a working-class activist, in time becoming a prominent member of the British Communist Party.

The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 saw the sections of the army that supported the democratically-elected government pitted against Fascist forces under General Franco. Michael Brown, a brother of George, was in 1936 one of the early members of the International Brigade formed to defend the Republic. When he returned to England at the end of that year George enlisted and, following his marriage to Evelyn Taylor, headed for Spain in February 1937. He died in battle at Brunete in July of that year.

The speakers at this year’s event include Fr Peter McVerry SJ, whose Peter McVerry Trust is committed to reaching out to those on the margins of society who will speak on housing and homelessness and the problem of substance abuse. This will be followed by an illustrated talk by Commandant (retired) Larry Scallan on the subject of the involvement of people from the Inistioge area in the Great War.

The venue for these talks is St Mary’s Church of Ireland, Inistioge and starts at noon. There follows a wreath-laying at the George Brown Memorial in the adjoining graveyard.

The next stage of the Commemoration takes place in nearby Woodstock Gardens where Flamenco guitarist, Craig Ó Mathúna will give a recital at the Olive Grove situated in the Walled Garden. As has happened each year since 2008, this is followed by the planting of a specimen tree in the grounds of Woodstock.

It’s back then to the village where entertainment will be provided by the Graignamanagh Brass Band. All are welcome.